Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could increase.
16 bodies have been recovered but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their family members still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a significant contributor to foreign revenue for the country.
