Tragic Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a massive fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still missing.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when burned.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he added.
Tearful family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major contributor to export earnings for the country.
