Devastating Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could rise.
16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire department stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services confirmed.
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 said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately 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 child back," he stated to news media.
The devastating event has another time highlighted the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the country.
