Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources said.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The tragic incident has another time underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
