Summary 13 people died as fired engulfed a commercial plaza in New Anarkali area of Lahore.
LAHORE (Web Desk) – The Punjab Government on Tuesday announced compensation of Rs5 lakh each for the families of those killed in fire at a commercial plaza in New Anarkali area of Lahore.
An electrical short circuit in the 4-storey Al Khalid Plaza was the likely cause of the fire in the Al Kareem Market area of New Anarkali, where mostly watches and clothes are sold.
A city government official said 13 people died of suffocation and burns. The deceased include a woman and a child.
Taking notice of the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif expressed deep sense of sorrow over the loss of precious human lives and formed a special committee to probe the incident.
The chief minister has directed the committee to submit a report on the incident within 24 hours.
The Punjab Government has also announced compensation of Rs500,000 each for the families of the deceased and Rs100,000 for each of the injured.
Anarkali Trader Union has announced that the market will remain shut today to mourn the tragic incident.
