Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also releases toxic fumes when ignited.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has once again highlighted the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the country.
