Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service reported.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports indicated.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately 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 child back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a major provider of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
