Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he noted.
Tearful family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a significant source of export earnings for the nation.
