Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told reporters.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.
