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No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters stated.

Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still not found.

The fire, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.

Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.

Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he stated to journalists.

The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a major source of economic income for the South Asian economy.