Tragic Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have perished after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a significant contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.
