Tragic Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
