Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Fatalities

No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the number of victims could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned unrecognizable, the fire department reported.

Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources reported.

Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases 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 department director told journalists.

An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.

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

Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.

"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 stated to news media.

The tragic incident has another time emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.