Deadly Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 persons have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned unrecognizable, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their loved ones still missing.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, 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 was the origin point.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official informed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the country.
