Tragic Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a huge fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire service reported.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their loved ones still missing.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports indicated.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official briefed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Tearful family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
