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No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could increase.

A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department reported.

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

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.

As late as 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 ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.

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

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

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

Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.

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

The tragic incident has another time underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs countless of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the nation.