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No fewer than 16 individuals have died after a huge fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the number of victims could increase.

Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service said.

Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.

The fire, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.

Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.

According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical 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 owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed reporters.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.

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

Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.

"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to journalists.

The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages numerous of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the country.