Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs countless of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the country.
