A massive fire tore through a shopping mall in central Karachi, Pakistan, killing at least six people and injuring several others as firefighters battled through the night to contain the blaze, officials said on Sunday.
The fire broke out late Saturday at Gul Plaza, a multi storey commercial building in the city’s historic downtown area, rapidly spreading from ground floor shops to upper levels and leaving large sections of the structure badly damaged.
Emergency crews were still working on Sunday to extinguish remaining flames amid fears the weakened building could collapse.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about fire safety standards in densely packed commercial districts of Pakistan’s largest city.
Rescue officials said they received the first emergency call at about 10:38 p.m. local time after reports that shops on the ground floor were on fire.
“When we arrived, the fire from the ground floor had spread to the upper floors, and almost the entire building was already engulfed,” Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassanul Haseeb Khan told Reuters.
Videos circulating on local media showed flames shooting from windows as firefighters laboured overnight to stop the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings in the crowded business area.
Hundreds of people gathered near the site, including shop owners who watched as their businesses were reduced to ashes.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said six bodies had been brought to Karachi’s Civil Hospital, while 11 injured people were receiving treatment.
She added that police had invoked mass disaster protocols due to the scale of the incident and the risk of further casualties.
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Images from inside the mall showed charred shop interiors and a glowing orange haze as flames continued to burn hours after the fire began.
Local media reported that parts of the building had already collapsed, prompting rescue teams to limit access to certain areas. Officials said structural instability remained a major concern as crews continued operations.
Authorities have not yet released the cause of the fire, and an investigation is expected once the site is declared safe.