🔗 Share this article

At least 16 persons have perished after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could increase.

A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department said.

Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their dear ones still unaccounted for.

The blaze, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources said.

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

Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when combusted.

Police and military officers are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.

An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.

Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.

"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.

The devastating event has yet again underscored the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the country.