Tragic Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims
At least 16 people have died after a huge fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire department said.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources indicated.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
