Devastating Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was brought under control after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he stated to news media.
The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the nation.
