Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
At least 16 persons have died after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still not found.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits toxic fumes when burned.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial provider of export earnings for the nation.