Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.
The devastating event has once again underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
