Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the fatality count could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their family members still missing.
The fire, which started at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when combusted.
Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the country.
