Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire department reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he told reporters.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial provider of export earnings for the nation.
