Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the fatality count could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was brought under control after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify 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 the fire service official briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the country.
