Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when burned.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the South Asian economy.
