Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately 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 expressed to reporters.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a major provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
