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No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the fatality count could rise.

Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters reported.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their dear ones still not found.

The fire, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.

Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when ignited.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told journalists.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he added.

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

Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.

The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages millions of workers and is a major source of economic income for the South Asian economy.