Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
At least 16 people have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their family members still missing.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts indicated.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director briefed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told journalists.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
