Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims no Fewer than 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still missing.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities 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 reported.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director briefed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has another time highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages millions of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the country.
