🔗 Share this article

At least 16 persons have perished after a huge fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could increase.

Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service said.

Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still not found.

The blaze, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent 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 completely doused, news sources said.

Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.

Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also emits toxic fumes when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official told reporters.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.

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

Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told reporters.

The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the country.