Tragic Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 persons have perished after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still not found.
The blaze, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the country.
