Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have died after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the number of victims could increase.
16 bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their family members still not found.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
