Deadly Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the security issues affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the nation.
