Devastating Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director informed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he told reporters.
The devastating event has another time underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a significant source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
