'The factory is on fire, save me': Grief-stricken relatives rush to search for loved ones in Mirpur fire
Chaos, smoke, and heartbreak engulfed Shialbari, Mirpur, as relatives of the victims of Tuesday's devastating fire scoured the ruins, desperate for news of their loved ones.
A woman collapsed at the site, overcome by shock and grief.
Army personnel and bystanders quickly poured water over her head, trying to bring her back to her senses.
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She must have just realised the magnitude of her loss, the person she had come looking for was missing or worse.
All around her, fathers, brothers, sisters, and wives rushed to the wreckage, hoping to find someone alive.
But the building had already been reduced to charred debris.
Families clutched photographs, calling out names into the smoke-filled air, eyes wide with fear and disbelief.
Among them, Nasima Begum's anguish was palpable.
"Nasima, the factory is on fire… save me!" were the last words she heard from her husband, Nazmul Islam, who worked on the second floor of a garments factory in Mirpur.
The call disconnected, and since then, she has been searching frantically.
"I still can't find him," she said, her voice breaking. "He called me around 11:30am to say there was a fire. Since then, I've been to Dhaka Medical College, Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital, Ibn Sina. But there's no sign of him."
Hundreds of residents and eyewitnesses gathered near the scene, watching in stunned silence as rescuers battled the blaze.
Firefighters, law enforcement, locals and anyone around joined in the rescue efforts as well as to help comfort the distraught families.
