KARACHI – A fire that broke out at Gul Plaza shopping mall on MA Jinnah Road late Saturday night caused 40 percent of the building to collapse, raising the death toll from suffocation and burn injuries to 27.
Rescue teams continue to remove debris and recover bodies, while the list of missing persons has risen to 83.
According to Dr Samia Tariq, the number of deceased has reached 27, and post-mortems of all the bodies have been completed.
Police Surgeon Dr Samia Syed said a woman was identified as Misbah through a locket she was wearing.
She added that the body of 33-year-old Misbah, daughter of Irfan, will be handed over to her family. Four other members of Misbah’s family are also missing in the Gul Plaza tragedy. So far, eight bodies have been identified.
Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said that 40 percent of the building has collapsed, and after inspection, experts from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) have declared the remaining portions extremely weak. He urged traders to cooperate with authorities and stay away from the red zone.
The DC said search operations would be carried out inside the building today. The missing persons list includes 83 names, though some were recorded twice; therefore, 75 people are confirmed missing, and the location of 39 individuals has been traced to Gul Plaza.
He said the SBCA demolition team is present at the site and is guiding authorities on how to proceed with the operation.
According to the DC, rescue personnel were sent to the third and fourth floors in the morning and a detailed survey was conducted, but no bodies were found. However, there is suspicion that more bodies may be on the left side of the building, where teams will attempt to create access routes. “God willing, we will find a way,” he said.
He added that vehicles parked on the roof have been removed and handed over to their owners, while motorcycles still present will also be removed.
Javed Nabi Khoso said that within 15 to 20 minutes of the fire breaking out, authorities attempted to enter the building from three points, but the intensity of the fire made it impossible to approach. Rescue workers tried to enter from MA Jinnah Road and managed to rescue some people, though several rescue personnel were injured during the operation.
He said attempts were made to enter the building from every possible point, and people trapped inside were rescued wherever access was possible.
The DC said the fire was extremely intense and fast-spreading, which created severe challenges. Due to the severity of the blaze, rescue teams were unable to enter Gul Plaza, despite making 32 attempts to do so.
He added that four entry points were identified and holes were created, and teams were sent inside to some extent, but they could not proceed further due to the intense fire.
Rescue personnel enter building after 40 hours
Rescue workers entered the Gul Plaza building 40 hours later and began search operations for missing persons. The search for bodies on the first floor has been completed, while efforts to locate survivors or bodies on the second floor are ongoing.
During the search on the second floor, the fire flared up again, prompting a fire brigade vehicle to resume water spraying. The blaze was brought under control shortly afterward.
Due to darkness inside Gul Plaza, rescue workers are using torches to search for people. Human remains have been found inside the building, and the recovery of bodies continues.
Karachi mayor visits incident site
Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab visited Gul Plaza late at night to personally oversee the rescue operation. He directed authorities to ensure the completion of the rescue operation at all costs and to further expedite the search for victims.
The mayor said all departments of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) would remain on alert until all missing persons are traced and the rescue operation is completed.
Vehicles being removed from rooftop under rescue and clearance operation
According to Express News, following the mayor’s instructions, additional heavy machinery was deployed at the site, and KMC staff began removing vehicles from the rooftop in phases using cranes.
Authorities said a total of 32 vehicles have so far been safely removed from the rooftop of Gul Plaza.
The removed vehicles include 16 cars, 4 Suzuki vehicles, 12 motorcycles, and 1 rickshaw.
All recovered vehicles were returned to their owners in safe condition, who drove them to secure locations.
13 bodies identified, 75 people missing: Karachi commissioner
Speaking to the media, Karachi Commissioner Hasan Naqvi said that 26 bodies have been recovered in the Gul Plaza incident, of which 13 have been identified. DNA tests will be conducted to identify the remaining bodies. So far, reports of 75 missing persons have been registered.
He said the intensity of the fire was
