ISLAMABAD: A fire that tore through a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi has killed at least 55 people, officials said on Thursday, as the Sindh government announced an independent inquiry into the disaster and vowed action if negligence is found.
The blaze broke out late Saturday at Gul Plaza, a three-story commercial building in Karachi’s congested Saddar district, burning for more than 24 hours before being brought under control. Dozens of people remain missing as rescue teams continue to search through the wreckage.
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said during a televised news conference Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had constituted a committee to investigate the incident, stressing that authorities would not speculate on the cause of the fire until the inquiry is completed.
“For the inquiry, the chief minister has made a committee which has been mandated to conduct an impartial and independent investigation,” he said. “Whatever report comes after that inquiry, the government will take action on it. If there is any negligence, the government will definitely take action.”
Memon said the committee would examine all aspects of the incident, including how the fire started and how rescue operations were carried out.
