Deadly Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service reported.
Distraught relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was brought under control after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts indicated.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has once again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages millions of workers and is a major contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.
