Devastating Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the nation.
