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No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could rise.

16 bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the fire department reported.

Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still missing.

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.

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

Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.

Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when combusted.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director informed journalists.

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

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

Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he stated to news media.

The tragic incident has yet again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.