Devastating Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives
At least 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the number of victims could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still missing.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when combusted.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately 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 daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has once again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
