ISLAMABAD: Eleven people died and at least a dozen were injured in a fire that erupted in a multi-storey shopping mall on Saturday morning near the Dalmia area on Rashid Minhas Road.
Officials said the deaths were caused by suffocation and burns, while some of those injured fell off the stairs during evacuation and others suffered burn injuries.
Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab quoted the fire department as saying that the blaze claimed nine lives, and that the search process was underway.
KMC Fire Department has so far confirmed that there have been 9 casualties in the fire incident. 7 bodies have been shifted to Jinnah Hospital while 1 body each has been shifted to Civil and Abbasi Shaheed Hospitals. Search process still continues
Seven people were recovered in an unconscious condition due to suffocation, and they were said to be in critical condition. All the injured and unconscious people were shifted to the hospital. At least 30 people were said to have evacuated the building on a self-help basis, while many were still inside, as per some reports.
Jinnah Hospital officials claimed to have received 10 injured, out of whom three are in a critical condition.
Fire engulfs multi-storey shopping mall on #Karachi’s Rashid Minhas Road.
Several people are still trapped inside the mall, said officials.
They said eight fire engines, two snorkels and a bowser were engaged in the fire extinguishing operation, which took at least four hours to complete. After dousing the flames, a cooling and rescue operation was underway.
Rescue officials said the fire erupted on the second floor of the mall at around 6:30am and soon engulfed the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors, where several shops and offices were located. The reason behind the fire was yet to be determined.
They said many windowpanes were shattered, due to which explosions could be heard from inside the building, while fire extinguishing efforts were hampered by the accumulation of thick clouds of smoke.
Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Maqbool Baqar has taken notice of the fire incident and ordered the commissioner to rescue the people still trapped inside the mall.
He also directed to ensure minimum losses while trying to douse the flames, adding that it was the government’s responsibility to protect the lives and property of the people.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also took notice of the incident and expressed grief over the loss of lives. He has sought a report into the incident from the Karachi commissioner.
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