Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also emits toxic fumes when burned.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official told the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he told reporters.
The devastating event has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
