Deadly Apparel Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities

No fewer than 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service reported.

Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.

The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts reported.

Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when burned.

Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed the media.

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

Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.

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

"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told reporters.

The tragic incident has once again underscored the security issues affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the South Asian economy.