At least 16 people have been confirmed dead after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory and chemical warehouse in the Rupnagar residential area of Shialbari, Mirpur, Dhaka, on Tuesday.
Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of operations and maintenance at the Fire Service and Civil Defense Directorate, confirmed the death toll in a press briefing on Tuesday evening.
He said that the bodies of 16 victims were recovered from the first and second floors of the garment factory.
鈥榃e suspect that all of them died due to inhalation of toxic gases. The search operation at the garment factory is nearly complete, but the firefighters have not yet been able to begin searching the chemical warehouse,鈥� Tajul Islam said.
The bodies of the victims have been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for identification, he said, adding that the identities of the victims could not be confirmed without DNA tests.
Tajul Islam also mentioned that the fire at the garment factory has been brought under control, but the blaze at the chemical warehouse is still raging.
He mentioned that there were seven to eight different types of chemicals stored in the warehouse, including bleaching powder, plastic, and hydrogen peroxide.
