Tragic Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives

No fewer than 16 persons have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the fatality count could increase.

Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the fire service said.

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

The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services said.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts reported.

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

Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when ignited.

Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed the media.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.

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

Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.

The tragic incident has once again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a crucial contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.