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Firefighters carry a body after recovering it from the rubble of a burnt down building of a multi-storey shopping mall after a major fire. Photo: Ali Raza/AP/dpa
Keystone
At least 26 people have died in a devastating fire in Pakistan. Dozens more people are missing, according to officials.
The fire in the shopping center broke out on Sunday in the port metropolis of Karachi. Pictures show a destroyed and burnt-out building complex.
Around 50 people were injured in the major fire, a spokeswoman for the provincial government told the news agency DPA. There is great concern that the death toll could rise further. Firefighters battled the flames for more than 24 hours. The governor of Sindh province spoke of more than 70 people missing.
"These are painful moments of waiting for a miracle," a man told the Pakistani television channel Geo News. Like many relatives who thought their family was under the rubble, he waited outside the disaster site for news.
According to the authorities, the shopping center was designed for 400 stores - in fact, however, it is said to have housed three times as many stores. Only two emergency exits were functional.
In the past, devastating fire disasters have frequently occurred in the South Asian country, triggering discussions about fire safety. The fire departments are often understaffed and poorly equipped - and therefore barely able to respond to major emergencies.
19.01.2026, 16:37
