Tragic Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
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 said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding 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 came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time emphasized the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the nation.