At least 16 people have died after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been recovered but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service reported.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.
The devastating event has another time highlighted the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major provider of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
