Deadly Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have perished after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources indicated.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the country.
