Slow Emergency Response Blamed in Deadly Pakistan Mall Fire

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Zia ur-RehmanJanuary 19, 2026 at 04:13 PM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

A large fire at the Gul Plaza Shopping Mall in Karachi, Pakistan, killed at least 23 people and left dozens missing this past weekend. The fire, which started Saturday night and burned for nearly 24 hours, destroyed over a thousand shops in the busy wholesale market. The cause of the blaze, suspected to be an electrical short circuit, is still under investigation. Rescue efforts were hampered by the unstable structure, and the exact death toll may take days to determine. Urban planners and shopkeepers are blaming the tragedy on chronic mismanagement in Karachi.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Reuters ×240% Akhtar Soomro ×240% Haji Sabir 50% Pakistan ×280% Karachi ×490% Gul Plaza Shopping Mall ×495%

Keywords

mall fire 90% emergency response 80% karachi 70% pakistan 70% firefighters 60% gul plaza 60% rescue efforts 50% shopkeepers 50% urban planning 40% mismanagement 40%