At least 11 people have been killed and 35 injured in a fire at a shopping mall in Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi, officials said.

More than 60 people were inside the mall when the fire broke out on the fourth floor of the six-storey building in the southern port city.

“Our rescue workers have taken 11 dead bodies to hospitals so far,” said Shahid Hussain, a spokesperson for the Chippa welfare organisation, which runs a rescue service.

He said 35 people were injured, with seven of them in a serious condition.

“At least 40 people have been rescued,” he added.

Shabbir Ali, a provincial health ministry spokesperson, confirmed the death toll and the number of injured people.

Hussain said the fire was started by a generator short circuiting, and it spread to engulf two storeys.

Poor safety laws and building codes as well as lax enforcement mean fires in large buildings are frequent in Pakistan.

In 2012, at least 250 workers died at a garment factory in Baldia Town, western Karachi, when a fire engulfed the facility. In April this year, a fire tore through a Karachi garment factory killing four firefighters. and in August 2021, at least 10 people were killed in a fire at a chemical factory in the same city.

Source: The Guardian

BDST: 1840 HRS, NOV 25, 2023
MN