Tragic Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a huge fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the fatality count could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he told reporters.
The devastating event has once again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
