Tragic Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have died after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their family members still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces hazardous smoke when burned.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.
