Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have died after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the fire department said.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their family members still missing.
The fire, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when ignited.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages millions of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
