Deadly Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still not found.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
