Tragic Garment Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their dear ones still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Security personnel are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.
