Deadly Apparel Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Lives
At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been found but were burned beyond recognition, the fire department said.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.
