Deadly Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"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 stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to foreign revenue for the country.
