Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims at Least 16 Lives

At least 16 people have perished after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could climb.

16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department reported.

Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still missing.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around midday, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.

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

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

Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed journalists.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.

Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.

Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.

The devastating event has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the country.