Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 persons have died after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to reporters.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages millions of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
