Deadly Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims at Least 16 Victims

A minimum of 16 persons have died after a massive fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the fatality count could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire department reported.

Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still unaccounted for.

The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities confirmed.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources reported.

Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.

Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits toxic fumes when ignited.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed reporters.

An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.

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 family member.

"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.

The tragic incident has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a major contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.