Tragic Apparel Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 persons have died after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
