Deadly Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports indicated.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently 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 child back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the nation.
