Devastating Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the nation.
