Tragic Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
At least 16 people have died after a enormous fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when burned.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately 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 expressed to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the country.
