Firefighters were clearing the charred ruins of a Karachi mall on Tuesday as they tried to locate nearly 60 people still missing and feared dead after a fire that burned for nearly two days and killed 27 people.

The Pakistani port city's largest fire in over a decade began late on Saturday and quickly spread through the sprawling Gul Plaza shopping complex, famous for its 1,200 family-owned stores that sold wedding clothes, toys, crockery and much else.

Firefighters battled the flames, which unleashed an inferno inside the once-imposing structure, larger than a football field, throughout the night. By the time the flames were brought under control, Gul Plaza was reduced to a pile of ash and debris.

Safiya said her grandson Churchill, 25, had been working at the family's shop on Saturday. When he did not return home at night, she started to worry but only heard about the fire the next morning.

"We've been here since Sunday morning. What's the point of it all? My young kid! What should we do?" the 77-year-old said, holding back tears. "We haven’t heard anything. We’ve been sitting here day and night."