🔗 Share this article

At least 16 persons have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service reported.

Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their family members still not found.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.

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

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

Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.

Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official informed journalists.

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

Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.

The devastating event has yet again emphasized the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.