Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has another time highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the country.
