Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still missing.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials 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.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when burned.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the country.
