Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities

At least 16 persons have perished after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could increase.

Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service said.

Distraught relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their loved ones still not found.

The blaze, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials 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 said.

Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits toxic fumes when combusted.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director briefed the media.

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

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

Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he stated to news media.

The devastating event has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.