Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning 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-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he noted.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has another time underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
