Deadly Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Fatalities

No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could increase.

A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service reported.

Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in search of their dear ones still not found.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources said.

Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.

According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he added.

Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.

Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.

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

The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the country.