DHAKA (Agencies) – At least 16 people have been killed and several others injured after a fire broke out at a garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse in Dhaka’s Mirpur area on Tuesday, according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence Department.
Officials said the blaze began on the third floor of the seven-storey garment building at around midday and quickly spread to the neighbouring warehouse, which contained bleaching powder, plastic, and hydrogen peroxide.
Fire Service Director Tajul Islam Chowdhury said sixteen bodies were recovered from the second and third floors of the garment factory, adding that the death toll could rise as recovery efforts continued into the evening. The fire was brought under control after nearly three hours with the help of twelve firefighting units, while the warehouse blaze persisted for several more hours. Members of the Bangladesh Army, police, and border guards joined the rescue operations as grief-stricken relatives gathered nearby, many holding photographs of missing loved ones.
Officials said the cause of the blaze had not yet been determined. Talha Bin Jashim of the Fire Service said eyewitnesses saw flames originating from the garment factory before spreading to the warehouse. Chowdhury added that the factory owners had not yet been identified and that authorities were investigating whether the chemical warehouse was operating legally. “As far as we have heard, it is illegal. We will be able to confirm once the investigation is completed,” he said.
In a message of condolence, Bangladesh’s interim government head, Muhammad Yunus, expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and instructed authorities to provide assistance to the victims and their families. He also ordered a full investigation into the cause of the fire.
Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment exporter after China, has about 4 million workers in the sector, most of them women. The industry generates around $40 billion annually, mainly from exports to the United States and Europe. However, it has faced repeated industrial disasters due to poor enforcement of safety regulations. In 2013, more than 1,100 people were killed when the Rana Plaza building housing several garment factories collapsed, prompting global scrutiny of the country’s workplace safety standards.