Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have perished after a huge fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Crying family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
