Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the firefighters stated.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still missing.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told reporters.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
