Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities

At least 16 persons have died after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still not found.

The blaze, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.

Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when ignited.

Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.

Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.

Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he told reporters.

The devastating event has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the country.