Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Victims
At least 16 persons have perished after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources reported.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official informed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a crucial provider of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
