6 killed in shopping mall fire in Pakistan

Six people, including a firefighter, were killed, and several others remained trapped more than 12 hours later after a massive fire broke out at a huge shopping mall in Pakistan’s Karachi, officials said Sunday. Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Javed Alam Odho told the media on site that the fire at the Gul Plaza on the city’s busy MA Jinnah Road had erupted at around 10.45 pm on Saturday night.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi to immediately inquire into the incident, investigate the reasons behind the fire and submit a report, according to a statement. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan said that there had been six casualties and around 20 people rescued from the multi-storey building have been sent to a hospital.

The firefighters and rescue teams were trying to put out the fire 16 hours after it started, officials said. IG Aslam speculated that a short circuit might be the reason for the fire. “Once the cooling starts, we will start further rescue operations, but the layout of the building is very complex as it houses a basement and mezzanine floor with hundreds of shops and stores,” rescue 1122’s Khan said.

As many as 40 snorkels were being used and 60 per cent of the fire had been put out, he said, adding that the fire caused cracks in the mall’s walls. Gul Plaza was built in the early 80s and was a popular destination for all classes as it had hundreds of shops for affordable crockery, decorations, furniture, electronics, clothes, women’s cosmetics, perfumes, and other products. People gathering as firefighters try to controlfire in mall in Karachi.