Deadly Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the number of victims could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were burned unrecognizable, the fire department said.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also releases poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has once again highlighted the security issues affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.
