A fire on Tuesday at a garment factory in Bangladesh and an adjacent chemical warehouse killed at least 16 people and injured others, and the death toll could rise, an official said, Reuters reported.

The cause of the blaze wasn't immediately known, fire service director Tajul Islam Chowdhury said.

"Sixteen bodies have been recovered from the second and third floors of the garment factory," he said, adding that the number of deaths could rise as recovery operations were continuing, according to Reuters.