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A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a massive fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the death toll could climb.

16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.

Distraught relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still missing.

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

As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts indicated.

Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.

According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces toxic fumes when combusted.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed the media.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he noted.

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

Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently 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 loved one back," he expressed to news media.

The tragic incident has once again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the nation.