Tragic Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have died after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the country.
