Devastating Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have perished after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.
Crying family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to export earnings for the nation.
