🔗 Share this article

A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a huge fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.

Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.

The blaze, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.

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

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

According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when burned.

Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told the media.

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

Crying family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.

"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told reporters.

The catastrophic occurrence has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the nation.