Rescue operation continues as dozens remain missing after Gul Plaza fire

Speaking to Geo News, South District Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said two more bodies were recovered on Monday night, while the number of missing persons has risen to 83.

He said the ground and first floors of the building had been cleared and rescuers were now attempting to access the second and third floors.

The city’s biggest fire in over a decade broke out late Saturday at the multi-storey Gul Plaza, which houses around 1,200 shops and is spread across an area larger than a football field. The blaze in Karachi’s historic centre raged for more than 24 hours before it was largely extinguished.

Videos showed flames tearing through the building as firefighters battled the inferno through the night. On Monday, crews began cooling the structure and clearing twisted metal, debris, fallen air-conditioning units and shop signboards scattered across the road.

By Monday afternoon, most of the building had collapsed. Cranes were used to demolish the remaining structure amid fears it could cave in.

Qasir Khan said his wife, daughter-in-law and her mother had gone to the mall on Saturday evening and were among those still missing.

“The bodies will come out in pieces from here. No one will be able to recognise them,” he said, blaming delays in the rescue operation. “They could have saved a lot of people.”

Hundreds of people gathered around the site as rescue teams searched for victims, including shopkeepers whose businesses were destroyed overnight.

missing persons list by saad.ahmed00012

“We’ve been left high and dry, reduced to zero. Twenty years of hard work, all gone,” said shop owner Yasmeen Bano.

After more than 50 hours, rescue teams entered the gutted building, according to a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, who said search and rescue operations were continuing inside.

Vehicles recovered from rooftop
Rescue teams are also clearing the rooftop of Gul Plaza with the help of cranes. Several vehicles parked on the roof have already been recovered.

At least seven cars have been retrieved so far. Rescue officials said two vehicles, found in usable condition, were handed over to their owners, who drove them away themselves.

A trader, Aamir, expressed surprise at the recovery, saying both of his cars were intact. He added that cars and motorcycles had been parked on the building’s rooftop and that two of his shop workers were still missing.

Anger over the fire
Rescue workers were seen carrying human remains in sacks for DNA testing, taking frequent breaks to drink water after working in intense heat.

Tensions flared on Sunday night when Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab visited the site, with people chanting anti-government slogans and protesting what they described as a slow response by the fire department.

Kosar Bano said six members of her family had gone to the mall to shop for a wedding. The last message she received from them said they would be home in 15 minutes.

“The only hope we have is how many hands we will find, how many fingers we will find, and how many legs we will find,” she said.

Identification of bodies continues
A police surgeon at Civil Hospital said DNA samples had been collected from 20 bodies, while 48 families had already submitted their samples.

DIG South Asad Raza confirmed that DNA samples from relatives of missing persons were being sent to the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Laboratory for cross-matching, a process expected to continue over the next three days.

Sources said the forensic laboratory at the University of Karachi has received samples from severely burnt bodies recovered from the plaza, along with reference samples from families.

Investigation committee meeting
Authorities have launched an inquiry into the fire, headed by the Karachi commissioner.

In a statement, Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi said the investigation committee would hold its first meeting on Tuesday. He said the panel would review all available data and that the death toll had reached 26 so far.

Naqvi said the committee was constituted earlier on Monday and that the causes and facts behind the blaze would emerge in the coming days. He added that anyone found guilty of negligence or wrongdoing would be held accountable.

He also said the plaza contained highly flammable material, which intensified the fire, and that work on identifying the dead and tracing missing persons was ongoing.

Thick smoke hampered rescue
Rescue officials said the first emergency call was received at 10:38pm on Saturday, reporting a fire in ground-floor shops. By the time firefighters arrived, flames had spread to the upper levels.

Images from inside the building showed charred shops and an orange glow as fires continued to burn. Firefighters said poor ventilation caused thick smoke to fill the structure, hampering rescue efforts.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah acknowledged faults and said an inquiry would determine responsibility.

Provincial police chief Javed Alam Odho earlier suggested an electrical fault caused the fire, but Shah said the exact cause was still unknown.

The blaze could be Karachi’s deadliest since a factory fire in 2012 killed more than 260 people. A court later ruled that incident involved arson.