Deadly Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were burned unrecognizable, the fire department stated.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to reporters.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages millions of workers and is a major contributor to foreign revenue for the country.
