Devastating Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the number of victims could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Tearful family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the South Asian economy.