Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have died after a huge fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were burned unrecognizable, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also releases poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.
