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At least 16 persons have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could increase.

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

Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.

The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services said.

Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.

Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.

Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when combusted.

Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed reporters.

An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he noted.

Crying family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.

Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.

"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told journalists.

The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.