Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The devastating event has once again highlighted the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
