Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 people have died after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still missing.
The blaze, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also releases poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official briefed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to reporters.
The devastating event has once again underscored the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the nation.
