Karachi Shopping Complex Fire Kills Six as Search Continues for 65 Missing

At least six people lost their lives after a devastating fire tore through a shopping complex in Karachi, while firefighters continued searching for more than 65 individuals reported missing following the incident.

Firefighters Battle Blaze Through the Night

As firefighters worked throughout the night to prevent the blaze from spreading across the densely packed commercial district, videos circulating online showed towering flames engulfing the structure. The fire, which broke out late Saturday night, caused extensive damage, leaving much of the building nearly collapsed.

After battling the inferno for over twenty-four hours, fire crews began cooling the smouldering debris of the structure, which had been reduced largely to rubble. The intensity of the fire made containment efforts particularly challenging.

Firefighters in Karachi resumed search operations on Sunday for more than 65 missing individuals after the massive fire swept through the shopping mall located in the city’s historic downtown area. The blaze claimed six lives and severely damaged large sections of the building.

Officials said the lack of proper ventilation inside the mall, which housed more than 1,200 shops, caused smoke to accumulate rapidly, significantly obstructing rescue efforts. Firefighters shared these details with Pakistan’s local television channel Geo News.

Sindh police chief Javed Alam Odho told reporters at the scene, according to Dawn News, that preliminary findings suggested the fire “appears to have been caused by a circuit breaker.”

“The fire is still simmering due to the design and construction of this market, along with the nature of the materials stored inside, including carpets, blankets, and other resin-based items,” officials explained.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab informed reporters at the site that 65 people remained unaccounted for as rescue teams continued operations.

Rescue personnel confirmed that at least 20 individuals were injured, while six fatalities had been recorded.

Media reports stated that angry crowds at the scene raised slogans criticising the mayor, who arrived nearly 23 hours after the fire began.

Hundreds of people gathered around the structure, including distressed shop owners whose businesses had been completely destroyed by the blaze.

“We have been left with nothing, reduced to zero. Twenty years of hard work has vanished,” said shopkeeper Yasmeen Bano.

The fire erupted late Saturday night, with rescue services receiving the first emergency call at 10:38 p.m. (1738 GMT), reporting that shops on the ground floor of the multi-storey Gul Plaza shopping centre were on fire.

“When our teams arrived, the fire had already spread from the ground floor to the upper levels, and nearly the entire building was engulfed in flames,” Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassanul Haseeb Khan told Reuters.

Images from inside the shopping mall showed a glowing orange interior as flames continued to spread, leaving behind charred remnants of shops and merchandise.

By Sunday night, fallen air-conditioning units, damaged shop signboards, and the building’s blackened and twisted metal framework were scattered across the roadway.

Rescue officials warned that parts of the building had already collapsed and that the entire structure remained at risk of further collapse.