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At least 16 people have died after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could rise.

A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned beyond recognition, the fire department reported.

Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still missing.

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

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

Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.

According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also produces hazardous smoke when burned.

Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told the media.

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

Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.

Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.

"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he told reporters.

The tragic incident has another time emphasized the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the nation.