KARACHI: Eleven people, three doctors and two foreign nationals among them, were killed and 75 others sustained burn injuries after an huge fire broke out at a local hotel located on Shahrea Faisal in the wee hours of Monday.
According to preliminary reports, the fire broke at the kitchen located on the ground floor of Regent Plaza.
Most of the casualties occurred due to suffocation caused by excessive fire smoke.
Fire alarm in the hotel did not work which caused more casualties, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Director Seemi Jamali said, adding 30 of the injured are in critical condition.
She said that over 75 injured were to the hospital. United Bank Limited cricket team members who were staying at the hotel were also among the injured. The players and other guests got injured after they jumped from hotel windows to escape. Some hurt by shattered glass, she added.
UBL’s Sohaib Maqsood, Umer Amin, Karamat Ali were affected by the fire.
Firefighters put out the fire after hectic efforts with the help of three fire tenders.
Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar visited the hotel. Talking to media, he said the cause of the fire could not be determined as of yet.
