Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their family members still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when burned.
Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Tearful family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching 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 hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the nation.
