Sixteen charred bodies have been recovered so far from NR Garments following a devastating fire that broke out at the readymade garment factory and a chemical warehouse in the Shialbari area of Rupnagar Residential Zone in Mirpur of the capital on Tuesday.

The bodies, which were found inside the garment factory, have been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue. However, none of them are recognizable, and DNA tests might be required to confirm their identities.

Fire Service Director (Operations) Lt Col Tajul Islam Chowdhury shared the information during a press briefing near the scene at around 7:00pm on Tuesday evening.

He said, “After completing the search operation, we recovered 16 bodies from the second and third floors of the garment factory. Their faces are completely unrecognizable. Preliminary investigation suggests the building’s rooftop was fully covered with tin and mats, and the grill door leading to the roof had two padlocks, which are still locked. That’s why the workers couldn’t escape upward.”

“The chemical explosion produced toxic white smoke, which likely caused them to lose consciousness and die on the spot,” he added.

Death toll rises to 16 in Mirpur factory and chemical warehouse fire

Lt Col Tajul further said that one volunteer was injured during the rescue operation, but no Fire Service personnel were hurt. “We have not yet been able to contact the factory owner,” he added.

At least 12 fire service units are currently working at the scene. While the fire in the garment section has been brought under control, flames in the chemical section are still burning, he said.

“There were around six to seven types of chemicals stored there. Due to their nature, it will take more time to fully extinguish the fire,” the Fire Service operations director said.