Tragic Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 people have died after a huge fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could increase.
16 bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department stated.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still missing.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when ignited.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the nation.
