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At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could climb.

A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated unrecognizable, the firefighters said.

Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.

The blaze, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials said.

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

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

According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed the media.

An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.

Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.

Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.

"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to news media.

The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the nation.