Tragic Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 people have died after a massive fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their dear ones still missing.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources reported.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he added.
Crying family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.
