A MASSIVE fire swept through a multistorey shopping centre in Pakistan’s largest southern city of Karachi late on Saturday, killing at least six people and injuring about a dozen others.

Firefighters and rescue workers rushed to the Gul Plaza shortly after 10pm local time following reports of the blaze, police and rescue officials said. 

According to the local media, most shop owners were closing their stores or had already left when the fire broke out and spread quickly.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Police said an investigation would be launched once the blaze was extinguished. 

However, most structures in Karachi, and other parts of the country, lack fire prevention and firefighting systems, which often results in damages and casualties.

TV footage showed firefighters in protective gear battling the flames. Several fire trucks used ladders, water cannon and hoses to douse the building’s floors, where flames shot out of windows and balconies. 

Authorities said the fire spread rapidly after erupting in an area of the centre where shopkeepers had stored imported garments, clothing and plastic household goods, which helped fuel the flames.

Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province, where, in November 2023, a fire tore through another shopping mall in the city, killing 10 people and injuring 22 others.