Deadly Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 persons have died after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their family members still not found.
The blaze, which started at the factory around noon, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to reporters.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.
