Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still not found.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the country.
