Speaking to the media, South DIG Syed Asad Raza said that 30 bodies were recovered from a spot on the mezzanine floor of the shopping mall. He said the victims had locked themselves inside a crockery shop in an attempt to save their lives.
Suleman, the owner of the crockery shop, said that 14 bodies were recovered from his shop alone. He added that his cousins, employees and customers were present inside the shop when the fire broke out.
However, police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that the remains of 21 bodies from two shops were brought to Civil Hospital. She added that it was not yet possible to confirm whether the remains belonged to 21 individuals or more.
“Since this morning, only remains of bodies have been brought to the Civil Hospital,” she said.
Meanwhile, District South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said the building would not be demolished as long as even one person remained missing.
Speaking to reporters, Khoso said that 86 people were still missing following the blaze, adding that once the rescue and identification process is complete, the entire building will be demolished.
He said the whereabouts of 39 missing persons had been traced back to the shopping centre, while 17 bodies recovered from the site were yet to be identified. According to the DC, 11 bodies have been identified so far.
The fire, described as the port city’s biggest in over a decade, erupted late on Saturday at Gul Plaza, which houses around 1,200 shops in a multi-storey complex spread across an area larger than a football field.
The blaze in Karachi’s historic centre continued for more than 24 hours before it was finally brought under control.
