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At least 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could climb.

16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.

Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in looking for their family members still missing.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.

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

Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when ignited.

Security personnel are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed reporters.

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

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

Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.

The devastating event has once again highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the nation.