Death toll rises to 24 in shopping mall fire in Pakistan’s Karachi

At least 24 people have been confirmed dead in a massive fire at a shopping mall in Karachi, the capital of Pakistan's southern Sindh province, officials said on Monday.

A spokesperson for state-run Rescue said an extensive urban search and rescue operation continued at the Gul Plaza building, which was severely damaged by the blaze. More casualties were feared as the structure remained unstable and large sections of the building had collapsed. The blaze erupted late Saturday night at Gul Plaza, a multi-storey shopping mall located on MA Jinnah Road, which houses over 1,200 shops.

It was brought under control after more than 24 hours of firefighting on Sunday. Sindh Chief Minister said about 60 people who were reported to have visited the plaza were still missing. He said the provincial government would provide compensation about 36,000 U.S. dollars to the family of each victim.