Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims at Least 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources indicated.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he noted.
Crying family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages millions of workers and is a major source of economic income for the country.
