Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official told journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told reporters.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the nation.
