Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
At least 16 persons have perished after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits hazardous smoke when burned.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he added.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages millions of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
