🔗 Share this article

A minimum of 16 persons have died after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could climb.

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

Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.

The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.

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

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

Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when combusted.

Security personnel are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed journalists.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.

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

Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.

"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.

The devastating event has once again highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a major contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.