Devastating Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when burned.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the nation.
