Massive fire burns over 100 shelters in Karachi

Karachi — A massive fire burned over 100 burlap-and-plastic shelters in the southern port city of Karachi, forcing hundreds of poor nomads to spend the night in the open amid winter temperatures, but there were no casualties, police said Wednesday.

TV footage showed a massive fire sweeping through the shelters as dwellers cried for help.

It was unclear what caused Tuesday night's fire in the city's Teenhatti neighborhood, where hundreds of nomad families live in makeshift homes, area police chief Liaquat Hayyat said.

He said firefighters quickly doused the flames but they could not save the 100 or so makeshift homes.

Hours after the fire, inhabitants were seen retrieving utensils and other items from the ashes.

"We have lost each and everything," wept one survivor, Lakshmi Bai, sitting outdoors with her children.

Authorities say the government will provide tents to those who lost homes in the fire.

Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province, where thousands of nomads live in open areas along the Lyari canal.