Devastating Apparel Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their family members still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also releases hazardous smoke when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a major provider of economic income for the nation.
