Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a huge fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still not found.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he added.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has another time highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial provider of export earnings for the nation.
