Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the South Asian economy.
