Deadly Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the fatality count could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director briefed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he noted.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a major source of economic income for the nation.
