Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims at Least 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 people have died after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when burned.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has another time underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages numerous of workers and is a major provider of economic income for the nation.
