Devastating Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters said.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their dear ones still not found.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces toxic fumes when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
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 stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a significant contributor to foreign revenue for the country.