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No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the death toll could increase.

Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the fire department stated.

Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in search of their family members still not found.

The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.

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 reported.

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

According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when combusted.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.

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

Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

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

"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.

The devastating event has another time highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.