Tragic Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a huge fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently 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 child back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has another time highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the country.