Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
At least 16 persons have perished after a massive fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service reported.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their loved ones still missing.
The fire, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.
