Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the fire department said.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the nation.
