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At least 16 persons have died after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the death toll could climb.

A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service stated.

Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.

The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.

Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.

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

Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces toxic fumes when combusted.

Security personnel are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told the media.

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

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

Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.

The devastating event has another time underscored the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the country.