Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have lost their lives after a huge fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the death toll could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts indicated.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
