Devastating Apparel Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Lives
At least 16 people have died after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official told reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the nation.
