Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the death toll could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their loved ones still missing.
The fire, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he told reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages millions of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the country.
