Tragic Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have died after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their dear ones still missing.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.
The devastating event has once again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages millions of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
