Devastating Apparel Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports reported.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official told reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately 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 daughter back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a major contributor to export earnings for the nation.
