A devastating fire swept through the Gul Plaza mall in Karachi, Pakistan, on Saturday, claiming the lives of more than a dozen people and leaving over 60 individuals unaccounted for. As rescue workers comb through the collapsed structure, families gathered outside the shopping centre, desperate for news of their loved ones.
The tragedy has sparked outrage in the city, with residents chanting anti-government slogans and protesting the response time of the fire department. Karachi’s mayor, Murtaza Wahab, visited the site on Sunday night, nearly 24 hours after the initial incident, further fuelling the public’s frustration.
Eyewitness accounts describe a chaotic scene, with thick smoke billowing from the mall and panicked shoppers rushing to escape the flames. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, but early reports suggest it may have started in one of the shops before rapidly spreading throughout the multi-storey building.
“It was absolute mayhem,” said Fatima Iqbal, a local resident who was in the mall at the time of the blaze. “People were screaming and running in all directions, trying to find a way out. The smoke was so dense, it was difficult to breathe.”
Rescue efforts have been ongoing since the fire first broke out, with emergency services working tirelessly to locate and extract any survivors trapped within the collapsed structure. However, the extent of the damage and the challenging conditions have made the search and recovery operation extremely difficult.
“We are doing everything in our power to find any remaining survivors and provide assistance to the victims’ families,” said Karachi’s fire chief, Amir Khan. “This is a tragic event, and we are committed to determining the cause and ensuring that measures are put in place to prevent such incidents from happening again.”
The Gul Plaza mall was a popular shopping destination, frequented by residents from across Karachi. The loss of life and the devastating impact on the community have left the city in mourning, with many questioning the safety standards and emergency response procedures in place.
As the investigation into the fire continues, the focus remains on the ongoing search for survivors and the provision of support to the affected families. The incident has once again highlighted the need for stricter fire safety regulations and improved emergency preparedness in Pakistan’s urban centres.
