"A fire that tore through a shopping centre over the weekend in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, has killed at least 23 people, including a firefighter, as rescuers race to find dozens more still missing. The city's biggest fire in more than a decade broke out late on Saturday at Gul Plaza, a three-storey commercial building home to more than 1,200 shops selling a wide range of goods. It took more than 24 hours to fully extinguish the blaze."
"City authorities said parts of the building have collapsed and debris and poor ventilation are severely hampering rescue efforts. Mayor Murtaza Wahab said a formal inquiry would be launched into the fire under the supervision of the city's commissioner. Speaking to a private news channel on Monday night, Wahab confirmed that more than 60 people remained missing and the search operation is ongoing after the firefighting operation has been completed. Fire flares up again during the cooling process, he said, describing one of the challenges faced by emergency personnel."
At least 23 people, including a firefighter, died in a massive blaze at Gul Plaza, a three-storey shopping centre in Karachi; dozens remain missing. The fire began late Saturday and took more than 24 hours to extinguish, with portions of the building collapsing and debris and poor ventilation hampering rescue efforts. Firefighters faced re-ignitions during the cooling process. City officials announced a formal inquiry under the city commissioner and Sindh provincial compensation of 10 million rupees per bereaved family. Gul Plaza sat on a major artery and housed over 1,200 shops, highlighting broader fire-safety, rescue-capacity and urban-governance challenges in Karachi.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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