Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, 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, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
