Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Lives

A minimum of 16 people have died after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.

Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still not found.

The fire, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.

Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.

Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also releases poisonous gases when ignited.

Security personnel are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director informed the media.

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

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

Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.

The devastating event has another time underscored the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the country.