Deadly Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases hazardous smoke when burned.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a major contributor to export earnings for the nation.
