Deadly Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
At least 16 people have died after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the number of victims could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent 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 entirely put out, media reports indicated.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Crying family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the country.
