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A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could climb.

A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.

Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their dear ones still not found.

The blaze, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.

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

Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.

Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.

Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.

"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 loved one back," he expressed to journalists.

The devastating event has another time underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the nation.