Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have perished after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the country.
