Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the death toll could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire department stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also produces toxic fumes when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has once again emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the country.