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At least 16 people have died after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the number of victims could climb.

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

Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their loved ones still missing.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.

Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when burned.

Police and military officers are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.

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

Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.

Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.

The tragic incident has another time emphasized the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs countless of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the country.