Deadly Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Victims
At least 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the South Asian economy.
