Firefighters brought the blaze under control on Sunday after battling the flames for more than 24 hours.

The shopping plaza, located in Karachi’s Saddar area, was left extensively damaged.

Officials suspect the fire may have been triggered by a short circuit, though the exact cause has not yet been officially confirmed.

Rescue operations are continuing to determine whether more people remain trapped inside the building.

South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that eight bodies were recovered by rescue personnel since Sunday night from the gutted structure.

“Firefighting operations have been completed. The cooling process has now begun, along with the removal of debris from the site by personnel from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Town Municipal Corporation (TMC), and the Pakistan Navy,” the DIG said.

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori said that at least 70 people are still missing, calling the situation “extremely alarming.”

“The reports of more than 70 missing persons constitute a major tragedy and have now turned this incident into a national tragedy,” Tessori told Dawn News. He added that reports of a pregnant woman being trapped inside the building were “extremely concerning.”

The governor said he remains in constant contact with three major builders in the city to assist with the restoration of the market.

Meanwhile, shop owners accused authorities of a delayed response, claiming the fire could have been contained earlier if firefighters had reached the site with full resources. One shopkeeper told Dawn News that the Saddar Fire Station is located just minutes away, yet timely action was not taken.