Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a huge fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still not found.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told news media.
The devastating event has another time underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the country.
