Deadly Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when combusted.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
