Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire department stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still not found.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the security issues affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
