Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have perished after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service reported.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still not found.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
