Devastating Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims at Least 16 Victims
At least 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service said.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still missing.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities 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.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has another time underscored the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the nation.
