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At least 16 persons have died after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could increase.

16 bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.

Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still missing.

The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources reported.

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

According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases poisonous gases when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed reporters.

An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.

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

Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.

"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.

The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the nation.