Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited 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 learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the country.
