Tragic Apparel Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the number of victims could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them 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 loved one back," he told news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the nation.
