Devastating Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims at Least 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the fatality count could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their family members still missing.
The inferno, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 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.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The tragic incident has another time highlighted the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
