Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a huge fire broke out 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 charred impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still missing.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when ignited.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
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, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
