Karachi, March 14 The mall association official alleged on Saturday that inadequate equipment and a delayed response from the fire department led to over 70 deaths and injuries in the January fire at a shopping complex in Karachi, Pakistan.
At least 73 people were killed in the massive fire that engulfed the Gul Shopping Plaza on January 17. About two dozen people were also injured due to the fire, smoke inhalation, and structural failures. The blaze, which quickly turned into an inferno, could only be contained after two days.
In a written statement submitted to the Judicial Commission, Gul Shopping Plaza Association president Tanveer Pasha said that the fire engine arrived at the scene nearly 40 minutes after the fire started. He added that they had run out of water within 20 minutes.
The authorities called off the search operation at the fire-ravaged shopping plaza after nine days, on January 27, and sealed the building.
The probe commission was formed by the Sindh government and is headed by Justice Agha Faisal.
According to the statement submitted to the probe body, Pasha said that other fire tenders/snorkels arrived at the scene after nearly an hour.
Until then, the fire had engulfed the ground floor, it said.
Pasha stated that the firefighters and rescue teams lacked the necessary communication channels and equipment, including masks and other safety gear, to immediately enter the building and rescue people trapped inside.
He said that the firefighters didn't even have enough foam and chemicals to extinguish the fire immediately.
The shop owners arranged for private water tankers voluntarily, and the water corporation also sent tankers in the early hours of the next morning, the president said in the statement, adding that the snorkels were used to rescue people from the roof.
The station officer of the Fire and Rescue Department of Karachi told Justice Agha Faisal that currently, there are just three snorkels, two fire tenders (one non-functional), around 65 staff members, and four drivers working in two shifts.
He also acknowledged that this manpower and resources' strength is nothing compared to the growing population of the coastal city.
Earlier, the Sindh cabinet had approved financial assistance of PKR 10 million for the families of each deceased victim, along with interest-free loans of PKR 10 million to help affected shopkeepers restart their businesses.