Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 persons have died after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been recovered but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director briefed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has yet again highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the South Asian economy.
