The bodies of 16 people, who died in the devastating fire in Rupnagar area of Mirpur in Dhaka, were brought to the emergency unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Tuesday night.

Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police outpost, said the victims include both men and women.

He said the bodies were recovered around 8:30 pm and brought to the hospital for identification. However, none of the victims have been identified yet and the process may take more time.

While briefing media on Tuesday afternoon, Lt. Col. Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (operations and maintenance) at the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters, said they initially recovered bodies of nine people.

seven more bodies were recovered from the factory and warehouse, said fire service officials.
The fire, which began around 11:30 am, is yet to be fully brought under control, according to the Fire Service.

The fire broke out at the four-story ‘Anwar Fashion’ garment factory and a neighbouring tin-shed chemical warehouse. Firefighters have been spraying water to contain the flames while conducting search operations inside the factory.

Locals said the fire broke out on the ground floor of the factory and then spread to the chemical warehouse, triggering loud explosions that engulfed all four floors.

Workers tried to escape, but many were trapped.

According to the Fire Service, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic, and hydrogen peroxide.