🔗 Share this article

At least 16 people have perished after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the fire department reported.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their family members still missing.

The blaze, which started at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services confirmed.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports indicated.

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

According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed the media.

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

Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for 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 haven't found her... I just want my child back," he stated to news media.

The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the nation.