At least 12 people, including four women, suffocated to death and over 110 others were injured today when a pre-dawn fire ripped through a four-star hotel here, the fourth blaze to hit Pakistan’s largest city in the last two weeks.
The blaze broke out in the kitchen located at the ground floor of the Regent Plaza hotel at the city’s Shahrah-i- Faisal area and spread across the six-floor building, trapping over 100 hotel guests in their rooms.
Three fire tenders of the fire brigade reached the site and started an operation to rescue the guests. The firefighters were able to contain the fire after three hours, said Faisal Edhi of the Edhi Foundation.
At least 12 people were killed and more than 110 injured -- 30 of them critically -- after the fire broke out, Geo News reported citing sources.
Mayor of Karachi Waseem Akhtar visited the site of the incident and while talking to the media said the fire has been contained. He said rescue work was hampered due to absence of an emergency exit and spreading of heavy smoke.