Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Victims

At least 16 persons have died after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could increase.

16 bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department reported.

Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still missing.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.

Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.

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

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

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

Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.

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

The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the nation.