Tragic Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire department stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around midday, was brought under control after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief 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 waited outside the burned 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 hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs millions of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the country.
