Tragic Apparel Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Lives

No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the number of victims could climb.

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

Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.

The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources said.

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

According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when burned.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed reporters.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.

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

Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed 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 news media.

The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the country.