Tragic Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Victims

A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters stated.

Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still missing.

The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources reported.

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

Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official told reporters.

An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.

Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.

Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to reporters.

The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial provider of economic income for the country.