Deadly Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when burned.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. 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 security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial provider of economic income for the nation.
