Deadly Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the fire department reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their dear ones still not found.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports indicated.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official told the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has once again highlighted the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs countless of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
