Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their family members still not found.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately 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 reporters.
The tragic incident has once again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
