More than 26,500 fires were reported in Bangladesh last year, amid widespread neglect of safety standards.
A relative shows the photo of a fire victim, who works as a garment factory worker, in front of the chemical and garment factory in Dhaka, October 14, 2025. At least 16 people were killed after a fire engulfed a chemical and garment factory in Dhaka. PHOTO: AFP
At least 16 people were killed Tuesday in a fire that ripped through a chemical and garment factory in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, officials said.
The fire started in the factory’s warehouse before spreading to a nearby multi-story garment factory, said fire director Tajul Islam Chowdhury.
All the bodies were found in the garment factory, Chowdhury told reporters, confirming the toll.
Outside the factory, distraught relatives searched for their loved ones. Abdur Rahman, 19, said he was looking for his brother Robin.
Firefighters douse flames as smoke rises from burning chemical and garment factory in Dhaka.PHOTO:AFP
“I found one of his colleagues who escaped by breaking a window. He saw my brother Robin inside,” Rahman told AFP. “He didn’t make it.”
Several other people held up photos of missing loved ones, pleading for information.
“The deceased appears to have suffered serious injuries from chemical inhalation as there were highly flammable materials piled up inside,” Chowdhury told reporters.
Authorities have not yet entered the chemical warehouse.
Witness Tahmina Sharmin, 34, said she heard a loud explosion before the area was filled with flames and smoke.
“At first, people were surprised and didn’t know what to do,” she told AFP.
She said she was among the first to respond before firefighters arrived.
More than 26,500 fires were reported last year alone in Bangladesh, where safety standards are lax and often ignored.
In 2021, at least 52 people were killed, including many children, when a fire ripped through a food processing plant.
Bangladesh’s worst fire occurred in 2012, when a fire ripped through a garment factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, killing at least 111 people and injuring more than 200 others.
