Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Victims

A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could increase.

16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department reported.

Distraught relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their family members still missing.

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts reported.

Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.

Security personnel are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed the media.

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

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

Present at the scene is a man looking frantically 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 loved one back," he expressed to news media.

The catastrophic occurrence has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial contributor to economic income for the nation.