Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the fatality count could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when combusted.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Crying family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the nation.
