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No fewer than 16 individuals have died after a huge fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could climb.

16 bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service stated.

Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still missing.

The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.

Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when ignited.

Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director informed reporters.

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

Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to journalists.

The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant source of export earnings for the nation.