Devastating Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a huge fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service reported.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when burned.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he told news media.
The devastating event has another time emphasized the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the country.
