Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources reported.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he added.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
