Pakistan hotel blaze kills 11 as guests jump from windows
At least 11 people were reported dead on Monday, with a further 75 injured, as fire swept through a luxury hotel in Pakistan.
Some of the victims jumped to try to make their escape from the four-star Regent Plaza in Karachi.
Others fleeing used bed sheets to climb down from windows on top floors as smoke filled the hotel which has more than 400 rooms.
“We broke the glass(es) and tied bed sheets together and tried to escape,” said injured hotel guest Muhammad Saeed.
“During the escape, we got a lot of injuries. Then we helped other people to escape from the spot but for at least four to five hours, everybody was looking helpless, crying for help and nobody was there to help them.”
The cause of the fire is not clear but early reports say it broke out in a ground-floor kitchen and may have spread via the hotel’s air conditioning system.
Many buildings in Pakistan have poor health and safety standards and firefighters, trying to save lives, often have to use inadequate equipment.
