Tragic Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Distraught relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services confirmed.
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 reported.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official briefed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he told reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.
