Devastating Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their family members still not found.
The fire, which started at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports indicated.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also releases poisonous gases when ignited.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he told reporters.
The devastating event has once again underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the country.
