Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Tearful family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the nation.
