Tragic Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Lives

A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could rise.

16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire department reported.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their family members still missing.

The fire, which started at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.

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

Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when combusted.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed journalists.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.

Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.

"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he told journalists.

The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.