Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims no Fewer than 16 Lives
At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their family members still not found.
The blaze, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Tearful family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
