Deadly Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a massive fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still missing.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was brought under control after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he told news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
