Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were burned beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Crying family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial provider of export earnings for the South Asian economy.