early morning fire at RJ Mall Karachi claimed 11 lives,22 injured

In a huge fire erupted at RJ Mall on Karachi’s Rashid Minhas Road on Saturday morning, claimed Eleven lives while 22 persons have been injured.

The RJ Mall building is a commercial high-rise that housed shopping centres, call centres and software houses.The Fire and Rescue services were alerted about the incident at 6:30am.

The fire broke out from second floor engulfed the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the shopping mall, but it was not clear what caused it.

There were nearly 50 people trapped inside the RJ shopping mall have been rescued in the rescue operation involving two snorkels, eight fire tenders and a bowser, claimed City’s Fire brigade officials.

Nine bodies moved to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) while one body each was shifted to the Civil Hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Officials said the deaths were caused by suffocation, smoke and burns, while some of those injured fell off the stairs during evacuation and others suffered burn injuries.

In a symposium earlier this week, (National Fire Safety Symposium & Risk Based Awards) organised by Fire Protection Association of Pakistan (FPAP) , Sindh caretaker Minister for Industries, Commerce and Revenue Muhammad Younus Dagha said that 90 per cent of buildings in Karachi don’t have fire prevention and fighting system.

The Sindh Building Control Authority (SCBA) officials after visiting the affected building said that RJ shopping Mall falls under the jurisdiction of the Faisal Cantonment Board.Its map has not been approved by the Sindh Building Control Authority.

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (rtd) Maqbool Baqar took notice of the incident and issued directives for the injured to be provided medical aid immediately.