Deadly Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
At least 16 persons have perished after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still missing.
The blaze, which started at the factory around noon, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he told news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs countless of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the nation.
