11yo to stand trial over shopping mall fire killing 72

An 11-year-old boy is set to stand trial in juvenile court after being accused of playing with matches and starting a fire that tore through the Gul Plaza shopping mall in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi in January, killing 72 people.

The blaze injured eight others, and completely destroyed more than 1,153 shops, resulting in extensive financial devastation.

Investigators submitted an indictment through prosecutors naming six defendants on July 4. The accused include the young boy, his father, who owned an artificial flower shop within the complex, and four members of the Gul Plaza management committee, according to NDTV.

Rescue workers search for bodies among the rubble after a massive fire broke out at a shopping mall in Karachi on Jan. 21, 2026. Photo by AFP

Following the incident, which took firefighters nearly a week to fully extinguish, all six suspects fled but were eventually apprehended by authorities.

According to the investigation, the fatal fire ignited while the 11-year-old was playing with matches inside his father's artificial flower shop.

A 13-year-old witness told a magistrate that he was present in the shop when the younger boy was playing with the matches and the flames suddenly erupted.

Two adult witnesses corroborated this account during the investigation. They testified that the father routinely left his young son alone to manage the shop without any adult supervision, as reported by Times of India.

Call detail records cited in the indictment confirmed that the father was not present at the shop when the fire broke out.

The indictment also detailed severe negligence regarding the building's infrastructure. Investigators found that the shopping center lacked basic fire safety measures and failed to meet required standards.

Emergency exits were locked or blocked, fire extinguishers were insufficient, and the facility lacked both a fire hydrant system and emergency lighting, according to Gulf News.

These critical shortcomings compounded the disaster. When the electricity was cut off, the building was plunged into darkness as the flames spread.

Call records also revealed that the mall's management failed to notify the fire department or rescue services during the crucial early stages of the emergency.

While the 11-year-old will be tried in the juvenile justice system, the remaining adult defendants face severe criminal charges, including manslaughter, negligent conduct regarding fire or combustible matter, rash or negligent acts causing injury, mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy property, and common intention.