Garment factory fire kills 16 workers in Bangladesh

A fire on Tuesday at a garment factory and chemical warehouse in Bangladesh killed at least 16 people and injured others, and the death toll could rise

DHAKA, Bangladesh — A fire on Tuesday at a garment factory in Bangladesh and an adjacent chemical warehouse killed at least 16 people and injured others, and the death toll could rise, an official said.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, fire service director Tajul Islam Chowdhury said.

“Sixteen bodies have been recovered from the second and third floors of the garment factory,” he said, adding that the number of deaths could rise as recovery operations were continuing.

The fire broke out around midday on the third floor of the four-story factory in the Mirpur area of the capital, Dhaka, before spreading to a chemical warehouse storing bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, fire department official Talha Bin Jashim said, citing witnesses.

Smoke rising from the burning chemical and garments factory in Dhaka on Tuesday.AFP via Getty ImagesFirefighters brought the factory blaze under control after nearly three hours, though the fire at the warehouse continued.