Massive fire in Pakistan's shopping mall leaves 11 dead, dozens missing Photo

Firefighters in Pakistan’s largest city continued searching for more than 60 missing people after a massive fire tore through a multi-storey shopping mall, raising the death toll to 11.

The blaze erupted late on January 17 at the sprawling Gul Plaza shopping centre in Karachi’s bustling business district. It burned for over 24 hours, severely hampering rescue operations in the densely populated area, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

After more than a day of firefighting, crews shifted focus on January 18 to cooling and clearing debris, though concerns remained that additional victims could still be trapped inside.

Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed told Reuters the death toll had climbed to 11, while Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that more than 60 people were still missing.

Firefighters said the mall’s lack of ventilation, combined with thick smoke, made it difficult to reach trapped individuals. The building houses over 1,200 shops.

"It appears to have been caused by a circuit breaker," Sindh province police chief Javed Alam Odho told reporters at the site on January 18, adding that the layout of the market and the presence of flammable materials such as carpets and blankets caused parts of the fire to continue smouldering.

By the evening of January 18, large sections of the building had collapsed, leaving twisted metal, debris, fallen air-conditioning units, and shop signboards scattered across the street. Rescue workers warned that the remaining structure was unstable and could collapse further.

Authorities said the first emergency call came at 10:38 p.m. (17:38 GMT) on January 17, reporting that ground-floor shops were on fire. By the time firefighters arrived, flames had already spread to upper floors, engulfing much of the building.

By Sabina Mammadli