Tragic Apparel Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Grief-stricken 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 broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping 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 hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages millions of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.
