Tragic Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial provider of economic income for the nation.
