Devastating Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred beyond recognition, the fire department stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still missing.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
