Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he noted.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant source of foreign revenue for the nation.
