At least 16 people have died after a huge fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the toll could rise.

Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned beyond recognition, the fire service said.

Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still missing.

According to the BBC the blaze, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.