Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have died after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their family members still missing.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he stated to news media.
The devastating event has once again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to economic income for the nation.