Deadly Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene 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 told reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.
