Tragic Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still not found.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports indicated.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official told reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told journalists.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the country.
