Devastating Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have perished after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their family members still missing.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he told news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a major contributor to export earnings for the country.
