Tragic Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 persons have died after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Distraught relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.
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 department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently 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 daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the country.
