Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities

No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could rise.

16 bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters said.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still missing.

The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.

Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.

According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when burned.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed journalists.

An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.

Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.

The tragic incident has another time underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the nation.