Devastating Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a huge fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could increase.
16 bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters said.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director briefed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.