Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire department said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which started at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has another time highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial provider of export earnings for the nation.
