Devastating Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could rise.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned unrecognizable, the fire department reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also releases poisonous gases when burned.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically 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 child back," he expressed to reporters.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a major contributor to export earnings for the nation.
