Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
At least 16 people have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the number of victims could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still missing.
The fire, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to reporters.
The devastating event has once again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.