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A minimum of 16 persons have died after a enormous fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could climb.

16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.

Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.

The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.

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

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

Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also releases toxic fumes when combusted.

Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official briefed the media.

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

Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.

Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.

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

The devastating event has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the nation.