Horror fire kills 6 after ripping through shopping centre as 'mass disaster' declared

A huge fire engulfed a shopping centre in Pakistan (Image: Xinhua/Shutterstock)

A huge fire has killed at least six people and injured 11 others after ripping through a busy shopping centre in Pakistan. Horrifying footage from the scene shows huge flames engulfing the Gulo Plaza shopping Centre in Kurachi as firefighters desperately battled through the night to bring the blaze under control.

Pictures from inside the shopping centre show shops completely destroyed. Local media reported some of the building had started to collapse, with rescue officials warning the entire structure could fall. The massive inferno drew hundreds of people who gathered around the multi-storey building. Several distraught shop owners looked on as their businesses burned down. Rescue spokesman Hassaanul Haseeb Khan said the blaze began in ground-floor shops but quickly spread upwards, leaving people trapped. He said: “When we arrived, the fire from the ground floor had spread to the upper floors, and almost the entire building was already engulfed in flames. The situation is critical, but six fire tenders are working hard to contain the fire."

Firefighters battled throughout the night in a desperate bid to extinguish the fire (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Garden Sub-divisional Police Officer Mohsin Raza added that the flames appeared to start in one store before engulfing the entire mall.

Raza told local media outlets that seven fire department units were battling the blaze, and Civil Hospital authorities had been alerted.

The hue flames quickly engulfed the shopping centre (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori expressed concern and ordered rescue and relief efforts to be sped up. He promised full cooperation to traders and victims, demanding a detailed report on the incident.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar directed traffic diversions to keep citizens safe and called for a full inquiry into the cause.