Tragic Apparel Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when burned.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he expressed to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
