Tragic Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have died after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources reported.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official informed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene 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 loved one back," he stated to journalists.
The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major contributor to foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
