Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives
At least 16 people have died after a massive fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the number of victims could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their family members still not found.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around noon, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs millions of workers and is a major contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.
