Devastating Apparel Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a massive fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still missing.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to reporters.
The devastating event has another time highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.
