11 die as multi-storey shopping centre catches fire in Karachi

KARACHI (92 News) - Eleven people died when a multi-storey shopping centre caught fire on Rashid Minhas Road in the wee hours of Saturday.

The victims died due to suffocation or severe burns. Several people fainted due to the fire. The condition of seven people is stated to be critical.

Firefighters and others teams are continuing the rescue and search operation. About 50 people have been rescued from the building. It is being feared that more people are still trapped in the building.

Dozens of shops and offices adjacent to the building were also gutted.

Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Maqbool Baqar has expressed profound grief over the loss of precious lives in the incident. He directed the Karachi commissioner to expedite the rescue operation.

According to the preliminary report, the RJ Shopping Mall caught fire at 6:30am. The fire erupted due to a generator placed on the top floor, which caught other floors in no time. Glasses were broken for emitting smoke engulfing the building. The upper floors of the building had call centres where work was underway at night. Several people were injured due to stampede after the fire.