Tragic Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities

A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the number of victims could increase.

Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.

Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still missing.

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials reported.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts reported.

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

Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when combusted.

Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official told reporters.

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

Crying family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.

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

"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told news media.

The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs countless of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the nation.