Death Toll In Pakistan's Karachi Shopping Mall Fire Climbs To At Least 14, Over 50 People Missing

Karachi: The death toll from a fire at a shopping mall in Pakistan's Karachi has risen to at least 14 and the rescue teams are using mobile phone data to trace more than 50 missing people, according to Pakistani authorities.

What did the Pakistani authority say?

South deputy inspector general of police, Syed Asad Raza, told media on Monday that "eight more bodies had been recovered since Sunday evening by rescue personnel, taking the death toll from six to 14."

When did the fire break out?

On Saturday night, a fire broke out at the Gil Plaza, a wholesale and retail market that had shops in the basement, mezzanine, and three more floors, and was brought under control by Sunday night, nearly 36 hours later, allowing rescue teams to enter the building to rescue those trapped inside.

According to authorities, six bodies were found immediately after the fire broke out in the mall.

Is the rescue operation still happening?

Officials said that "six people had died due to suffocation, while dozens of injured were sent to hospitals. However, as the fire spread, rescue teams were unable to go in."

Rescue 1122 Chief Operating Officer (COO) Abid Jalal said, "Once the fire was doused, we didn't wait for the cooling period and forcibly went in to rescue trapped people, and we found eight more bodies, some badly charred."

"The building structure has been weakened by the fire, and we are still continuing to search for any remaining people because we could see more structural collapses," Jalal said.

Police and rescue teams are using mobile phone data to trace the 54 to 59 missing people.

#SCENE A massive fire swept through a multi-story shopping mall in #Pakistan’s #Karachi late Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring about a dozen others. pic.twitter.com/LXlf5QFVoD

— ShanghaiEye🚀official (@ShanghaiEye) January 18, 2026

Did any official visit the site?

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori visited the site on Monday and said that “more than 70” people were missing.

“The reports of more than 70 missing persons are extremely alarming and constitute a major tragedy,” said Tessori, adding that the incident has now “turned into a national tragedy”.

Initially the Pakistani officials suspected the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in one of the shops, but later they said that the cause is yet to be confirmed.