Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Victims

A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could rise.

Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the fire department stated.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.

Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.

Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed journalists.

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

Crying family members stood 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, Farzana Akhter.

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

The devastating event has once again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.