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No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department stated.

Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still missing.

The blaze, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts indicated.

Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.

Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.

Weeping family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.

Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to reporters.

The devastating event has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a significant contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.