Videos: Massive fire engulfs Karachi shopping mall, hundreds evacuated
Karachi Mall Fire: Videos shared widely on social media showed black smoke billowing into the sky.
Three people died after a fire broke out near Ayesha Manzil in Pakistan's Karachi. The blaze broke out at the Arshi shopping centre in Karachi and damaged vehicles parked near the building. Videos shared widely on social media showed black smoke billowing into the sky as flames engulfed the structure while firefighters attempted to douse the bright orange flames.
Karachi mayor Murtaza Wahab shared on X (formerly Twitter), "Third dead body" had been found, adding, “Rescue operation still continues. I have been informed of 2 casualties so far, however will give further confirmation. I am present myself at site.”
"Fire brigade team is present on the ground to deal with the fire situation at Ayesha Manzil. Snorkel is also present on site to evacuate people from the roof if required. Will keep everyone posted," he added.
In another post, Murtaza Wahab stated, "Rescue operation continues as people are being evacuated safely from the building. I can so far confirm that two people with severe burn injuries have been moved to the Civil Hospital Burns Ward. No dead bodies have been found as of yet; however, a search is being made. Will keep everyone posted."
Meanwhile, Sindh Rescue director Abid Shaikh said that a rescue operation was underway. "This is a third category fire, the whole building was in the grip of the flames," he said.
Fire brigade department official Humayun Khan stressed that the fire had spread from the ground floor "all the way till the fourth floor".