Devastating Apparel Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Victims
At least 16 persons have lost their lives after a enormous fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their dear ones still missing.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a major source of economic income for the nation.
