Deadly Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which started at the factory around noon, was brought under control after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he expressed to journalists.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the country.
