Devastating Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Lives

A minimum of 16 persons have died after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the fatality count could climb.

16 bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.

Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still missing.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities 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, media reports indicated.

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

Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces hazardous smoke when burned.

Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told journalists.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he noted.

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

Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to journalists.

The devastating event has yet again underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the country.