Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have died after a huge fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could increase.
16 bodies have been found but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The tragic incident has once again highlighted the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
