Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities

No fewer than 16 people have perished after a huge fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could climb.

A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.

Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their family members still missing.

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

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts indicated.

Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also releases toxic fumes when combusted.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official informed journalists.

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

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

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

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

The devastating event has once again highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the nation.