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No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could rise.

16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire department stated.

Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their family members still not found.

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.

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

Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.

According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed the media.

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

Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.

Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.

The devastating event has another time emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.