Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the fatality count could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still not found.
The blaze, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when burned.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the South Asian economy.
