Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources reported.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to journalists.
The tragic incident has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to export earnings for the nation.
