Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces toxic fumes when combusted.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the nation.
