🔗 Share this article

No fewer than 16 persons have died after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire department said.

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

The fire, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.

Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.

Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he mentioned.

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

Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.

"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told news media.

The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a significant source of foreign revenue for the country.