Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
At least 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could increase.
16 bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services 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 service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when burned.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he expressed to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major source of economic income for the nation.
