ISTANBUL/ISLAMABAD

The death toll from a massive fire in a major shopping mall in Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi has exceeded 30 as rescue teams continued searching for victims, officials said Wednesday.

The Edhi rescue organization said personnel found more than one additional deceased person from the Gul Plaza building and transferred them to a hospital.

It said the number of deaths has exceeded 30 and rescue operations are ongoing.

The latest list by the Deputy Commissioner South Office in Karachi showed 81 people, including women and children, remain unaccounted for, raising fears that the toll could rise as search operations continue.

Geo News reported that much of the building had crumbled, forcing authorities to use cranes to demolish unstable sections amid concerns about further structural failure.

The fire broke out Saturday at the Gul Plaza shopping center on MA Jinnah Road, a busy commercial artery in Karachi’s historic business district.

The blaze raged for more than 24 hours before it was extinguished.

The building houses 1,200 shops, including outlets selling clothing, electrical appliances, cosmetics and crockery -- factors that contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze.