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A minimum of 16 people have perished after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service stated.

Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still not found.

The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources indicated.

Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.

Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director informed the media.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he mentioned.

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

Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.

"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to journalists.

The catastrophic occurrence has yet again emphasized the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.