Death toll rises to 6 in fire at a shopping plaza in the Pakistani city of Karachi
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.99/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Firefighters in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Sunday finally extinguished a blaze at a multistory shopping plaza after a nearly 24-hour-long effort. The fire left six people dead, including a firefighter, and dozens missing, officials said.
The fire broke out late Saturday at Gul Plaza, and spread rapidly through shops stocked with cosmetics, garments and plastic goods, according to Dr. Abid Jalal Sheikh, the city’s chief rescue officer.
The fire has been put out and now a search for dozens of missing people is underway, said Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister in the Sindh province of which Karachi is the capital. Earlier, authorities had said crews needed another four to six hours to bring the blaze fully under control.
Five bodies were recovered from the four-story building and its basement, which housed about 1,200 shops, Sheikh said. Rescue officials said a firefighter died while trying to extinguish flames on the upper floors. Meanwhile, families continued searching for missing relatives.
Television footage showed dozens of firefighters in protective gear as thick smoke billowed from the damaged building. Parts of the structure collapsed during the fire.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, and an investigation will follow.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the deaths and ordered authorities to use all available resources to prevent further losses.
Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, has a history of deadly fires, often blamed on poor safety standards and illegal construction. In November 2023, a fire at a shopping mall in the city killed 10 people and injured 22 others.
