At least six dead and 20 injured after fire rips through shopping centre

At least six people are dead, and more than a dozen others are injured after a fire swept through a shopping centre in Karachi, Pakistan.

The blaze engulfed a multi-storey shopping centre in the southern Pakistani city just after 10 pm.

According to local media, most shop owners had closed their stores or already left when the fire broke out and spread quickly.

Garden subdivision police officer Mohsin Raza said initial findings suggested the fire started due to a short circuit in one of the shops, but the cause will be discovered through an investigation.

Most structures in Karachi and other parts of the country lack fire prevention and firefighting systems.

TV footage showed firefighters in protective gear battling the flames as thick black smoke billowed into the night sky.

Authorities said the fire spread rapidly after erupting in an area of the centre where shopkeepers had stored imported garments, clothing and plastic household goods, which helped fuel the flames.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked authorities to take ‘all measures’ to protect lives and property, as well as help affected traders and the injured.

Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province, where such incidents are common.

In November 2023, a fire tore through a shopping centre in the city, killing 10 people and injuring 22 others.

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