Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have died after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was put out after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources reported.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.
