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No fewer than 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire department stated.

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still not found.

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports 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 accelerate fires. Plastic also produces toxic fumes when combusted.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official told journalists.

An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he noted.

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

Present at the scene 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 loved one back," he told journalists.

The devastating event has another time highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages millions of workers and is a major provider of export earnings for the country.