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

16 bodies have been recovered but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.

Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.

The blaze, which started at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.

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

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

Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also releases poisonous gases when ignited.

Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed the media.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.

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

Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.

"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 child back," he expressed to journalists.

The catastrophic occurrence has another time emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.