Tragic Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives after a enormous fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the fire department stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which started at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
Up 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 department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages countless of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the nation.
