Deadly Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he added.
Crying family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to journalists.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the country.
