Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims no Fewer than 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could rise.
16 bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages countless of workers and is a significant source of foreign revenue for the nation.
