Tragic Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically 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 child back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has another time highlighted the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the country.
