Tragic Apparel Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have died after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were burned beyond recognition, the fire service reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he stated to journalists.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
