Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims at Least 16 Fatalities
At least 16 persons have died after a enormous fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to reporters.
The devastating event has once again underscored the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
