Karachi mall fire death toll rises to 23 as rescuers search for dozens missing

(19 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Karachi, Pakistan - 19 January 2026
1. Various of excavators working at site of destroyed shopping mall
2. Various of crowd watching
3. Various of rescue workers searching through debris
4. Rescue worker cutting pipe
5. Various of destroyed and scorched mall exterior
6. Firefighters gaining access to destroyed building
++NIGHT SHOTS++
7. Fire engine
8. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Shahid Hussain, rescue worker from Chhipa NGO:
“So far we have recovered 23 bodies and 18 other persons were injured who are either suffocated or partially burnt. The rescue operation stopped right now to fill the water bowsers. Operations will be started soon again, and we will recover more bodies from inside mall building."
9. Various of destroyed building
STORYLINE:
The death toll from a massive fire at a shopping plaza in Karachi rose to 23 on Monday as rescuers recovered more bodies from the badly damaged building, police said.

Dozens remain missing and authorities fear the number of casualties will rise further.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze at the multi-story plaza late Sunday, nearly 24 hours after it erupted, allowing rescue teams to enter the building.

As night fell, rescuers continued to struggle to reach parts of the severely damaged building where some people were believed to be trapped after losing contact with their families the previous day.

Some of the relatives of the missing waited outside the burned-out plaza Monday, hoping for news.

City Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the rescue operation would continue until all missing persons had been accounted for.

The fire spread quickly through shops storing cosmetics, garments and plastic goods, said Dr. Abid Jalal Sheikh, Karachi's chief rescue officer.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Police said an investigation was underway.

Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, has a history of deadly fires, often blamed on poor safety standards and illegal construction.

In November 2023, a fire at a shopping mall in the city killed 10 people and injured 22 others.

AP video shot by Muhammad Farooq

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