Death toll from shopping mall fire in southern Pakistan rises to 14

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a fire at a shopping mall in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi rose to 14 on Monday morning after rescue teams recovered more bodies during a search operation, officials said.

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.

Authorities launched a search operation amid concerns that people might still be trapped inside the building.

Deputy Inspector General of Police for the South District, Syed Asad Raza, told local media that eight bodies had been recovered from the gutted building since Sunday night.

"The fire safety operation has been completed. The cooling process has now started, along with the removal of debris from the site by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, town municipal authorities and Pakistan Navy personnel," the police official said.

Officials said the cause of the fire has yet to be confirmed. Initial assessments suggested it may have been triggered by an electrical short circuit, but investigations are continuing.

Earlier, rescue officials said the mall housed a large number of shops containing combustible materials, which intensified the fire and complicated firefighting and rescue efforts.■