Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still not found.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director briefed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the country.
