Karachi mall fire toll may rise as 60 reported missing, Sindh CM says 6 confirmed dead
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Karachi mall fire toll may rise as 60 reported missing, Sindh CM says 6 confirmed dead")
Firefighters douse the fire at a shopping mall in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sunday. Photograph: (AFP)
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told the media that six deaths have been confirmed, but over 60 were reportedly missing. The chief minister expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives and the economic impact of the incident.
The death toll in the massive fire that erupted at a shopping mall in Karachi, Pakistan, on Saturday night may rise further, as 60 persons were reported missing and the firefighters were still battling the blaze on Sunday evening. The fire at Gul Plaza, a multi-storey shopping mall located on MA Jinnah Road, had been brought under control by about 70 per cent by late afternoon, officials said. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that six deaths have been confirmed, but over 60 were reportedly missing, said a Dawn report. The chief minister expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives and the economic impact of the incident.
Speaking to the media at around 7 pm, CM Murad said, “I say with utmost grief that so far, it is confirmed that six people have lost their lives, including KMC firefighter Furqan.” Murad added that 22 others were injured but had been discharged from hospitals.
“But what is very concerning […] is that around 58 people—some people even say more than 60—are missing. May God give them more life.”
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The Sindh government has established a helpline to report anyone missing due to the fire or to direct their queries. CM Murad said that the three-storey building also had a basement and housed more than 1,000 shops.
The chief minister said a short circuit was being blamed for igniting the blaze in a shop with flammable material.
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An alert about the fire was received at 10:16pm on Saturday, and the first fire tender had reached the site at 10:27pm, he added.
South Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javed Nabi Khoso told Pakistani media outlets that authorities were collecting information about the number of people trapped inside the building.
The backside of the building has collapsed, and the front area is also about to collapse, said an official at the site.
The firefighters were focusing on controlling the fire first so that they could enter the mall and look for survivors, if any.
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Officials said the massive fire has severely compromised the structure of the building which prevented rescue personnel from entering.
