Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned beyond recognition, the fire department said.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when burned.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he told reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs millions of workers and is a significant source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
