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At least 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could climb.

Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.

Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.

Until 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 established which of the two buildings caught fire first.

Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed reporters.

An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.

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

Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.

"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told news media.

The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the nation.