Deadly Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the number of victims could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still not found.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he noted.
Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has once again highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
