Tragic Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims

A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could increase.

16 bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.

Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still not found.

The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.

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

Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when burned.

Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed reporters.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he added.

Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.

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

"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to reporters.

The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a major provider of export earnings for the South Asian economy.