Deadly Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also emits hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to reporters.
The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages millions of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the country.
