Deadly Fire Claims 16 Lives at Chemical and Garments Factory in Dhaka: Bangladesh's Ongoing Safety Crisis

Bangladesh reported more than 26,500 fires nationwide in the previous year alone.

A devastating fire erupted at a chemical and garments factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, resulting in at least 16 fatalities on Tuesday, according to official reports.

Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director at the Fire Service Department, stated that the inferno originated in the factory's warehouse before expanding to an adjacent multi-storey garments facility.

Chowdhury confirmed to reporters that all victims were recovered from the garments factory.

Grieving relatives gathered outside the factory searching for missing family members. Abdur Rahman, 19, was desperately looking for his brother Robin.

"I spoke with one of his colleagues who managed to escape by breaking a window. He witnessed my brother Robin inside," Rahman told AFP. "He didn't survive."

Many others displayed photographs of missing relatives, desperately seeking information about their whereabouts.

"The victims appeared to have experienced severe chemical inhalation injuries, as highly flammable materials were stored inside," Chowdhury explained to the press.

Officials have not yet accessed the chemical warehouse section of the facility.

Tahmina Sharmin, 34, an eyewitness, described hearing a powerful explosion before flames and smoke engulfed the area.

"People were initially shocked and confused about how to respond," she told AFP.

She mentioned being among the first responders before firefighting teams arrived at the scene.

Bangladesh documented over 26,500 fire incidents last year alone, a reflection of the country's inadequate safety standards that are frequently disregarded.

In 2021, at least 52 people, including many children, perished when a fire swept through a food processing facility.

The nation's most catastrophic fire occurred in 2012, when flames tore through a garment factory on Dhaka's outskirts, killing at least 111 individuals and injuring more than 200 others.