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At least 16 individuals have perished after a huge fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could rise.

16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.

Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.

The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts indicated.

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

According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when ignited.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed reporters.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he noted.

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

Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to reporters.

The devastating event has yet again underscored the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the country.