Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the fatality count could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.
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.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told reporters.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial provider of export earnings for the nation.
