Devastating Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still not found.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
