Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have died after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned unrecognizable, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources reported.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"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 reporters.
The tragic incident has another time highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the nation.
