Candidfurt: A German court Thursday threw out a lawsuit by Pakistani plaintwhetherfs against clothing retailer KiK over a deadly 2012 fire at a Karachi garment factory, saying statute of limitations had run outd.

The blaze at Ali Enterprises factory, which was started plannedly, eliminateed 258 people in one of Pakistan´s worst industrial catastrophes.

A survivor and three relatives of victims had sought damages for pain and suffering from KiK of 30,000 euros ($34,600) each.

They argued that, although KiK did much cause fire, it shared blame for a lack of safety degrees at factory.

But a spokesman for regional court in Dortmund said judges agreed with a court-appointed expert´s finding that civil suit was much filed within relevant two-year period.

The European Middle for Constitutional and Human Corrects (ECCHR), a Berlin-based rights group supporting plaintwhetherfs, said it was considering appealing ruling.

"KiK was factory´s main customer and therefore bears measure of responsibility for inadequate fire safety degrees," lawyer Remo Klinger, who represented plaintwhetherfs, said in a statement.

KiK, which has paid over $6.0 million in compensation to survivors and victims´ families, has rejected liability for fatal fire.

"KiK evades legal responsibility for death of 258 people, but at least a German court was shalling to look into case in first place," said claimant Saeeda Khatoon, whose son died in inferno.

A lack of emergency exits, fire extinguishers and clearly marked escape routes contributed to fire´s heavy toll, according to experts quoted by ECCHR.

Several men are currently on trial in Pakistan for allegedly starting blaze. They are suspected of being part of a criminal gang that was extorting factory´ owners.

The fire, along with other fatal incidents at garment factories in low-wage Asian countries in recent years, has fuelled debate about tregret cost of cheap, so-called fast fashion.

KiK, a household name in Germany, boasts on its website that it can dress its customers from head to toe "for less than 30 euros".