Tragic Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Lives
At least 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their loved ones still missing.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports indicated.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"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 tragic incident has another time highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages millions of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the country.
