Deadly Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Lives
At least 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department stated.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he added.
Tearful family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to reporters.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
