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| India-Pakistan |
| 12 killed in fire at Karachi's Regent Plaza hotel |
| 2016-12-06 |
| [DAWN] At least 12 people were killed and 75 others injured when a huge fire erupted at Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... 's Regent Plaza hotel early Monday, police and a doctor said. The blaze broke out in the kitchen located at the ground floor of the four-star hotel located on the city's Shahrah-e-Faisal, and swept through the building, trapping scores of hotel guests in their rooms. Three trucks from the fire brigade reached the site and started an operation to rescue the guests. The firefighters were able to contain the blaze after three hours, with 11 people having been killed, said a blurb issued by the Saddar Police Station. No fire exits? Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar speaking to news hounds outside the hotel said the cause of the fire could not be immediately ascertained. He said the hotel had "no fire exits or fire alarms". "We have received 11 dead bodies and 75 injured," Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the emergency services at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, told AFP. Amongst the injured were people who had fractured bones after jumping from hotel windows to escape, others had been hurt by shattered glass and many were treated for smoke inhalation, she said. She said six men, including three doctors and the hotel's front desk manager, and five women were among the dead. A couple from Punjab, attending a wedding in the metropolis were also among the dead. Three foreigners affected by the fire are in a stable condition, said Jamali. Rescue officials recovered another body from the washroom of a room on the second floor on Monday evening. |
| Posted by:Fred |