Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has once again highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the nation.
