Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have died after a huge fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also emits toxic fumes when burned.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director briefed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he told reporters.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.
