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

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

Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.

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

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

Security personnel are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.

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

Crying family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.

Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.

"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.

The tragic incident has yet again highlighted the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a significant source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.