🔗 Share this article

No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could increase.

Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department reported.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.

The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities reported.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.

Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed reporters.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.

Tearful family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.

"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he stated to reporters.

The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.