Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 people have died after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, 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, media reports reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces toxic fumes when ignited.
Police and military officers are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.
The tragic incident has yet again highlighted the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
