Tragic Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Victims

No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could climb.

A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service stated.

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

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

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.

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

Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.

Police and military officers are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed the media.

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

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

Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.

The tragic incident has once again underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the country.