Devastating Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have died after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when burned.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Crying family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The tragic incident has another time underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
