Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims
At least 16 people have died after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official briefed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he told reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial contributor to economic income for the country.
