Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated unrecognizable, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, 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 indicated.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when ignited.
Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he added.
Tearful family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told reporters.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to economic income for the nation.
