Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
At least 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits toxic fumes when ignited.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the country.
