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       Shopping Mall Fire Kills at Least 10 in Pakistan

       Fire safety is a persistent problem in Karachi, where construction has outpaced firefighting infrastructure and building code enforcement is lax.

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       A soldier stood guard after a fire broke out at a multistory shopping center in Karachi, Pakistan, on Saturday. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. Credit...Akhtar Soomro/Reuters

       By Zia ur-Rehman

       Reporting from Karachi, Pakistan

       Nov. 25, 2023Updated 6:33 a.m. ET

       A devastating fire engulfed a multistory shopping center in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on Saturday, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens more, officials said. The disaster drew attention to the continuing fire risks in a densely populated city where building codes are often ignored.

       The fire began around 6:30 a.m. on the second floor of the RJ Mall, a commercial high-rise that housed call centers and other businesses in addition to shops, on a busy road in the city. The blaze quickly spread to the fourth, fifth and sixth floors, trapping several dozen people.

       The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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