Tragic Apparel Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have died after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters said.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also emits toxic fumes when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the country.
