Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
At least 16 persons have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned 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 missing.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"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 stated to journalists.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the country.
