By Shakir Husain
NEW DELHI, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- At least six people, including a firefighter, were killed and many others injured after a massive blaze broke out at a popular shopping centre in Karachi late Saturday.
The fire tore through the multi-storey Gul Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road on Saturday night.
About 30 people were reported injured and more than 1,000 shops were gutted in the fire, which continued into Sunday.
The blaze was reported at 10.26 pm, and fire tenders were rushed to the site within minutes, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation said.
One of those killed was a firefighter, according to the corporation.
Pakistani Rangers paramilitary force personnel assisted fire brigade workers in the rescue work.
The death toll could rise as many were feared trapped in the destroyed four-story building and some of the injured were in serious conditions.
Pakistanis on social media expressed shock over the loss of lives and damage caused to an iconic shopping destination in the country's largest city.
Fouzia Hameed, a politician, called the fire “a tragedy”, saying that building safety laws were ignored and fire-fighting measures were inadequate.
“Those responsible must face prosecution,” she said.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered for the best medical treatment to be provided to those injured and has promised help to traders whose businesses were destroyed.
-- BERNAMA
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