Deadly Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have died after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their family members still missing.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the country.
