Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have died after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director briefed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial contributor to export earnings for the nation.
