Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives

Grieving relatives hold photographs of lost loved ones after the tragic factory incident — Heartbroken relatives hold on to photographs of their loved ones still missing after a fire raged through a clothing factory in Bangladesh

A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could increase.

16 bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service said.

Distraught relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still missing.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services said.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.

Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.

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

Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.

Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to news media.

The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.