Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources reported.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Crying family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.
