Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 people have died after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the country.
