The fire broke out in the garment factory on Tuesday evening. Many other people were injured, including some who jumped from the burning building. 

 

Some 40 firefighting vehicles were needed to tackle the blaze, an official told local media. 

 

A fire earlier in the day at a shoe factory in Lahore killed 23 people.

 

The Lahore fire was attributed to a faulty electricity generator¹. Medical officials said some people had died of suffocation²（窒息） while others were burned alive as the fire took hold.

 

In Karachi, reports said the building was still smouldering（发烟燃烧） early on Wednesday. 

 

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says that the fire could be the country's worst for more than 10 years.

 

Karachi fire chief Ehtesham Salim said: "We found people who died because of suffocation caused by the highly toxic³ smoke. They died first and then their bodies were burned by the raging fire," he said.

 

One man said workers had to rush to escape.

 

"It was terrible, suddenly the entire floor filled with fire and smoke and the heat was so intense that we rushed towards the windows, broke its steel grille and glass and jumped out," Mohammad Saleem told AFP in hospital.

 

"I fell on the ground and it was extremely painful, I saw many people jumping out of windows and crying in pain for help," he said. 

 

Bodies have been taken to several different hospitals, and police are still compiling a definitive⁴ list of casualties. 

 

Local police said that they feared more bodies could be inside the building. 

 

Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamud Deen said that his staff were trying to rescue about 20 people trapped in the basement and on the fourth floor. 

 

He said the building had no fire exits or alternative means of escape and that most of the dead had been suffocated⁵. 

 

Officials said windows at the factory were blocked with metal grills⁶.

 

The cause of the blaze was still being investigated, police said.

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