Deadly Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service reported.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their family members still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports indicated.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has another time underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
