Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has once again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the country.
