At least 6 killed, several injured in Pakistan shopping center fire

By Isamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - At least six people, including a firefighter, were killed and many others injured after a massive fire broke out at a shopping center in Karachi, Pakistan's commercial capital, officials said on Sunday.

The fire erupted on Saturday night at the Gul Plaza shopping center on MA Jinnah Road, and continues to burn as firefighters struggle to bring it under control, chief fire officer at Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Hamayun Khan told reporters.

He added that the mall houses around 1,200 shops, including those selling clothes, electrical appliances, cosmetics, and crockery, which intensified the blaze.

"So far six dead bodies have been recovered from the site, including one firefighter," a spokesperson at KMC told Anadolu. "Teams are working closely to bring the situation to normal."

The death toll was also reported by the Edhi Foundation, a non-profit ambulance and welfare service.

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, who visited the site, said firefighters are working to control the fire and rescue anyone who may still be inside.

“Rescue 1122 and firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze, which has spread across the building,” he said.

Rescue 1122 officials confirmed that 20 fire tenders from different departments and institutions are being deployed.

However, authorities warned that the building is old and structurally unstable, and rescue operations were being carried out with extreme caution.