Devastating Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the fire service reported.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he added.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
