Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 individuals have died after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when ignited.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has another time highlighted the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the nation.
