Deadly Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their dear ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to reporters.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the country.
