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A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their loved ones still missing.

The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources reported.

Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also emits toxic fumes when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told reporters.

An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.

Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.

The tragic incident has once again underscored the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a significant source of foreign revenue for the nation.