Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities

No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.

The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.

Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.

Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when burned.

Security personnel are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official informed the media.

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

Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.

Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.

"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.

The tragic incident has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the country.