Tragic Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Victims
At least 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources reported.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits toxic fumes when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages countless of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the nation.
