Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still missing.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources indicated.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he added.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told reporters.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
