Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have died after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the death toll could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their dear ones still not found.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits toxic fumes when ignited.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.
Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently 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 daughter back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a significant source of foreign revenue for the country.
