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A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could climb.

16 bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department reported.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still not found.

The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities 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 said.

Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when burned.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed journalists.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.

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

Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he stated to news media.

The devastating event has another time underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major provider of export earnings for the nation.