Fire at mall in Pakistan kills at least 23 people; dozens missing
The death toll from a massive fire at a shopping plaza in Karachi, Pakistan, rose to 23 on Monday as rescuers recovered more bodies from the badly damaged building, police said. Dozens remain missing.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze at the multistory plaza late Sunday, nearly 24 hours after it erupted, allowing rescue teams to enter the building. Authorities fear the death toll will rise as they look for 46 more people, according to city police chief Asad Raza.
Raza told The Associated Press on Monday that only six bodies have been identified so far. The rest will need DNA testing as the "bodies were beyond recognition," police surgeon, Dr. Summaiya Sye, said.
Earlier, Sindh provincial Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told a news conference in Karachi that rescue teams were searching for survivors and the dead. He said those killed in the fire included a firefighter and that the government would provide 10 million rupees ($36,000) in compensation to the family of each person killed.
The fire started on Saturday at Gul Plaza, housing 1,200 shops in a complex that is bigger than a football field, Reuters reported. The blaze spread quickly through shops storing cosmetics, garments and plastic goods, said Dr. Abid Jalal Sheikh, Karachi's chief rescue officer.
As rescue teams looked for survivors, hundreds of people were outside the building. Among them was shopowner Yasmeen Bano, who said, "We've been left high and dry, reduced to zero; 20 years of hard work, all gone," according to Reuters.
Some of the relatives of the missing were also outside the burned-out plaza Monday, hoping for news.
Qaiser Ali said his daughter, daughter-in-law and sister went shopping Saturday and were inside the building when the fire broke out. He said he had spoken to all three by mobile phone on Sunday, when they went silent.
"I don't know what has happened to them or whether they are alive," Ali told the AP. "We are praying that all those missing come out safely."
Mohammad Abrar said he managed to escape the fire, but his brother, Saifur Rehman, who owns a shop in the plaza, was left behind. He said he feared for his safety.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Police said an investigation was underway.
Karachi, the capital of 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.
A massive fire at a garment factory in Karachi in 2012 killed 260 people.