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12 killed as fire erupts in shopping plaza in E. Pakistan

29 December 2014 19:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 12 people were killed when fire erupted in a four-story shopping plaza in Pakistan's east city of Lahore on Monday night, officials said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Deputy Commissioner of Lahore Rashid Mahmood said that the fire erupted at the third floor of the plaza and the dead included a woman and a kid.

The 12 bodies and an injured man were shifted to the Mayo Hospital.

Medical superintendent of the hospital Dr Amjad said that four bodies have been identified and handed over to the relatives of the deceased while the others are still undergoing the process of identification.

He said that most of the deaths happened due to suffocation.

The fire erupted due to short circuit in the plaza located in the Anar Kali market of Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province.

Rescuers backed by four fire engines extinguished the fire and pulled out the bodies and injured people from the ashes.

The chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the incident and sought report from the concerned officials.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also expressed grief and directed the hospital administration to provide best possible medical treatment to the injured people.