At least 16 people died in a fire at a garment factory and chemical warehouse in Bangladesh on Tuesday, an official said, with expectations that the toll could rise.
Lt. Col. Tajul Islam Chowdhury, the director of the fire service, said that the fire broke out in Dhaka, the capital, around 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Sixteen dead were recovered from the garment factory, he said, but there could be more casualties at the nearby chemical warehouse, where the blaze was not yet under control. He said it was unclear how many people had been inside at the time.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of ready-made garments. The industry employs millions of workers, most of whom are women. Working standards have improved since the collapse in 2013 of Rana Plaza, a building that housed several factories, killed more than 1,000 workers, but deadly fires are still reported frequently.
Outside the buildings in Dhaka’s Mirpur area where the disaster occurred, anxious family members had gathered hoping for any information about their loved ones. Many of them were holding photos of young women outside the cordoned-off area.
Mohammad Nayeem said that he was searching for his wife, Samia Akter, who worked at the garment factory and that officials had told him to look in area hospitals.
“I went twice to Dhaka Medical, but couldn’t find her,” he said. “I still don’t know where she is.”
It was unclear what chemicals were housed in the warehouse, and firefighters were proceeding with caution. In 2022, several firefighters died after they rushed into a similar building. This time, the fire service was relying on drones and other technology to find the source of the blaze inside the warehouse.
Mujib Mashal contributed reporting from Mumbai, India.
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