The mayor of Karachi said the RJ Mall on Rashid Minhas Road caught fire on Saturday, injuring 22 and killing 10.
Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab reported 10 deaths and 22 injuries on X.
He pronounced the fire extinguished, and cooling began.
Police surgeon Summaiya Syed says nine bodies have arrived at hospitals. Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) has one victim, while Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre has eight. Wahab says Abbasi Shaheed Hospital received another victim.
She then said CHK was admitting an 18-year-old.
DC DC Altaf Shaikh, leading the rescue operation, reported finding 30 more individuals, including the injured.
The DC said they planned to demolish the building’s fifth story and had already demolished the fourth. After the rescue, he promised a comprehensive inquiry to discover the incident’s cause.
Sharea Faisal Station House Officer (SHO) Raja Tariq Mehmood informed that the high-rise office building included contact centers, retail establishments, and software companies.
A Fire & Rescue spokeswoman said they received a call at 6:30 a.m. and sent eight fire tenders, two snorkels, and two bowsers.
Sindh Inspector General (IG) Riffat Mukhtar ordered the District East senior superintendent of police to rescue the captive people. He ordered the road cleared so firefighters could reach the area.
After learning about the event, Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (rtd) Maqbool Baqar ordered emergency medical treatment for the victims.
He condoled the deaths of “six people” and instructed the city commissioner on how to safely evacuate the trapped victims. CM: “The government was responsible for people’s lives and belongings.”
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Wahab also regretted what happened. The mayor stated that firefighters saved many lives and that the building had no emergency escape.
They promised a “full investigation.”
Sindh’s governor, Kamran Tessori, has requested a report from the municipal commissioner.
Last week, city planners and engineers stated that 90% of Karachi’s residential, commercial, and industrial buildings lacked firefighting and preventive equipment.
They agreed that the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and other regulating bodies had committed “criminal negligence” that endangered millions of city residents.
The largest city in Pakistan and the capital of Sindh, Karachi is renowned for its deep blue sea, sophisticated educational system, rich food, historical landmarks, top retail malls, top movie theaters, and farmhouses.
A fire completely destroyed the multi-story RJ Mall, a business facility housing contact centers and software companies, on Saturday.
Karachi had various names, including Krokola, Barbarikon, Nawa Nar, Rambagh, Kurruck, Auranga Bandar, Minnagara, Kalachi, Morontobara, Kalachi-jo-Goth, Banbhore, Debal, Barbarice, and Kurrachee.
The State Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan’s central bank, operates from Karachi, the country’s financial hub. The city is the headquarters of most Pakistani banks. Arif Habib Limited is one of the banks headquartered in the city.
Due to Karachi City’s rapid population and industrial growth, authorities have constructed thirty fire stations in various neighborhoods to function as both disaster preparedness centers and fire brigades for the city’s residents.
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