Devastating Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have died after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
