Tragic Apparel Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 persons have died after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their family members still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an nearby 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 fully extinguished, media reports indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits toxic fumes when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The tragic incident has once again underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the nation.
