Tragic Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 people have died after a enormous fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.
