Devastating Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have died after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters stated.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their family members still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was brought under control after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.
Tearful family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the country.
