Pakistan: A Shopping Mall Fire in Karachi has Left at least 11 People Dead

(CTN News) – Officials and local media in Karachi, a city in southern Pakistan, have reported that a fire at a shopping center has killed at least ten people.

On Saturday, a fire ripped through the multi-story RJ Mall, a business skyscraper that serves as home to software companies and call centers.

The mayor of Karachi, Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui, reported on the social media site X that the fire had killed at least 10 people and injured 22 more.

He reported that firefighters had put out the fire and were attempting to cool the area.

It was reported by several local media sites that the death toll could be higher.

According to local channel Geo News, the mall on Rashid Minhas Road in Pakistan’s commercial capital and most populated metropolis was the scene of an early morning fire.

Karachi Fire Rescue Operations

According to the report, about 50 people were rescued by firefighters, but there were still more trapped within the structure.

The majority of the ten dead were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), according to local news website Dawn, which cited police surgeon Summaiya Syed.

Hospitals were reportedly treating some of the wounded as well, according to reports from the area.

Officials have promised to conduct an inquiry to find out what caused the fire, but no one knows for sure.

As rescue efforts got underway, the roads surrounding the structure were cleared.

In an X post, Sindh’s governor Kamran Tessori claimed that he has asked the municipal commissioner of Karachi for a report on the incident.