Tragic Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Victims

At least 16 persons have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire department said.

Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still missing.

The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.

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

Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.

According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.

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

Weeping family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.

The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages millions of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the country.