Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 persons have died after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were burned unrecognizable, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their family members still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits toxic fumes when burned.
Police and military officers 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 operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages millions of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the nation.
