11-year-old boy in Pakistan to stand trial after allegedly setting fire to mall that killed 72

Boy who allegedly set fire to mall in Pakistan to stand trial

An 11-year-old child who is believed to have started a fatal fire in Pakistan is set to stand trial.

His alleged actions burned down a popular shopping mall and claimed 72 lives.

The devastating blaze occurred earlier this year in January.

According to NDTV, the child will be standing trial alongside his father and four others, which primarily consist of the mall’s management committee.

Rescue efforts made almost impossible

On 17 Jan at 10.38pm, the fire department in Karachi was alerted to a blaze on the ground floor of Gul Plaza.

When they arrived, the fire had already spread.

It would take over 24 hours before authorities managed to control the blaze.

Rescue efforts were also severely hampered by the amount of damage the fire had done. In addition to the smoke within the building, parts of the mall had caved in.

According to reports, parts of the fire even reignited three days later. The incident is recorded as one of Karachi’s most devastating fires in recent memory.

An investigation into the case unearthed some unsettling details.

The mall housed around 1,200 shops, while it was only designed for 400.

Investigators also pointed out that many of these shops sold highly flammable materials, which contributed to how quickly the fire spread.

A father left his son to tend the shop

A court filing on 4 July revealed that an 11-year-old boy and his father were being charged in connection with the fire.

It alleged that the boy was managing his father’s artificial flower store while he was away.

That was when the boy began playing with matchsticks, which resulted in the fire.

A 13-year-old witness claimed he saw the boy playing with the matchsticks.

Two other witnesses corroborated the claims, saying that the father often left his son alone to tend to the store.

Additionally, investigators discovered multiple fire safety violations including blocked exits, few fire extinguishers, no fire hydrant system, or back-up lighting.

As a result, the mall’s management committee are being accused with negligence which led to the disaster.

Also read: Temple hall in Japan housing ‘1,200-year-old’ flame burns down

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Featured image adapted from Xinhua News.