Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still missing.
The blaze, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services reported.
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 reported.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official told reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
