Death toll in Karachi mall fire rises to at least 14 in Pakistan

More than 50 people remain missing, with a police investigation under way to determine the cause of the fire.

The death toll from a fire at a shopping mall in Karachi over the weekend has risen to at least 14, according to Pakistani authorities, as the search for more than 50 missing people continues.

South deputy inspector general of police, Syed Asad Raza, told the Dawn newspaper on Monday that eight more bodies had been recovered since Sunday evening by rescue personnel, taking the death toll from six to 14.

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Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told the daily that a total of five bodies had been brought to a local hospital.

Police and rescue teams were using mobile phone data to trace the 54 to 59 missing people and have contacted families to collect details.

Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city and the capital of the southern Sindh province.

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, who visited the site on Monday, told local media that “more than 70” people were missing.

“The reports of more than 70 missing persons are extremely alarming and constitute a major tragedy,” said Tessori, adding that the incident has now “turned into a national tragedy”.

The fire broke out late on Saturday at the Gul Plaza shopping mall, a densely packed commercial complex. Firefighters managed to bring the massive blaze under control after about 36 hours, allowing rescue teams to enter the building to rescue those trapped inside.

However, officials warned that the building is now extremely unstable and could collapse at any moment.

Later on Monday, rescue chief operating officer Abid Jalal told Dawn that firefighting efforts had restarted, as flames continued to emerge on a portion of the mall.

Officials initially suspected the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in one of the shops, but they later said the cause has yet to be confirmed, with a police investigation under way.

Shopkeepers and residents told local media that a delayed response and shortages of water and equipment had hampered early firefighting efforts, fuelling anger among traders who said decades of livelihoods had been wiped out.

Karachi has a history of deadly fires, often blamed on poor safety standards and illegal construction. In November 2023, a fire at a shopping mall in the city killed 10 people and injured 22 others.

An inferno at a garments factory in Karachi in 2012 killed 260 people.