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At least 21 people have died after a fire gutted a busy shopping mall in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, emergency officials said on Monday.
The blaze broke out late on Saturday at Gul Plaza, a three-storey commercial complex in the coastal metropolis, prompting frantic scenes as families gathered outside the building in search of missing relatives.
Rescue officials said dozens of people were still unaccounted for.
Hassan Khan, a spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 Sindh emergency service, has said that 21 bodies had been recovered so far and confirmed that search operations were ongoing.
He added that the fatalities included a 25-year-old rescuer, while at least 30 others were taken to the hospital with injuries.
Outside the charred mall, relatives of those missing appealed for help. A man, Shehbaz Ghulam, said his nephew had not been located and urged authorities and the media to assist in the search, noting that even confirmation of his condition would bring some measure of closure.
Karachi’s southern district police chief, Syed Asad Raza, said law enforcement had compiled a list of about 60 people reported missing following the outbreak.
Rescue teams have confirmed that the flames had been brought under control, while a government committee has opened an investigation into the cause of the fire.
Gul Plaza housed more than 1,200 shops and was a popular destination for wedding purchases and home décor. Shop owners and affected families have reportedly criticised what they described as a slow emergency response.
