Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have died after a enormous fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the nation.
