Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still missing.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when burned.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official briefed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has another time underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
