Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when combusted.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a major contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.
