Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims at Least 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have died after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their dear ones still missing.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to news media.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the nation.
