Name: Search for missing continues after fatal Karachi mall fire
Uploaded: 2026-01-20T14:36:53.326Z
Duration: 2 min 10 s
Description: A blaze at Karachi’s Gul Plaza mall on Saturday (January 17) killed at least 21 and left many unaccounted for. Locked exits and a slow response fueled protests and calls for answers.

A blaze at Karachi’s Gul Plaza mall on Saturday (January 17) killed at least 21 and left many unaccounted for. Locked exits and a slow response fueled protests and calls for answers.

Karachi

A fire at the Gul Plaza shopping mall in Karachi, Pakistan, resulted in at least 21 fatalities and left more than 60 people missing. The blaze, which began late Saturday and lasted over 24 hours, quickly spread through the complex, which housed more than 1,200 stores.

Authorities reported that most of the mall's exits were locked at the time of the fire, complicating evacuation efforts. Rescue teams continue to search the wreckage for survivors and victims, while local officials have pledged to investigate the cause of the fire and the emergency response.

Search for missing continues after fatal Karachi mall fire

Details are emerging of a fire at a Karachi shopping mall, which killed at least 21 people. Witnesses say smoke first emerged from air ducts at the Gul Plaza late Saturday, and what was believed to be a small fire quickly grew out of control. Flames spread rapidly through the shopping complex, which held more than 1,200 stores in the city's old commercial district. The blaze raged for more than 24 hours before it was mostly extinguished. My son works at a crockery shop at the second floor. We found out about the Gul Plaza fire when we switched on the TV at about 11 at night. We rushed here. I established contact with him at about 12.30 a.m. or 1 a.m. He said, Dad, most gates are closed here. Some of them were opened and there were crowds and fire. We went upstairs and sat down at a mosque. Two or three families and four other men are also sitting with me in the mosque. After that, there was no contact with him. We have a cafe at the front of the mall. As soon as the gates were about to close, we heard about the fire. We left everything behind and ran away to save our lives. Police told Reuters that all but three of the mall's 16 exits were locked. By Monday, firefighters were pulling bodies from the wreckage, with more than 60 people still missing. Mohamed Amin is in charge of operations at the site for an emergency services non-profit. We recovered nine bodies during the search operation today. If we talk about the total, the death toll reached 21, which includes a woman and a child. The rest of the victims are male. The site is littered with twisted metal, fallen air conditioning units and debris. Much of the building has already crumbled, with cranes demolishing what remains amid fears of collapse. Monday saw hundreds of people gathered around the ruins, demanding accountability from authorities. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has promised an investigation into the fire and the response time.

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