Karachi Gul Plaza fire toll rises to 31 as search operation continues 

Karachi (Web Desk): The number of people who lost their lives in the deadly fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road increased to 29 on Wednesday, as rescue teams pressed on with search operations despite hazardous conditions.
Officials said that more than 80 individuals were still missing several days after the blaze first broke out.

Rescue 1122 confirmed that another body was recovered from the rubble, bringing the total death toll to 29. 
During the search, rescuers also discovered human remains, which were shifted to a hospital for detailed medical and forensic analysis.

Deputy Commissioner South Javed Nabi Khoso said that debris removal would only begin once all missing persons were traced. He added that rescue and search activities were being carried out under the close supervision of a technical team to ensure safety and accuracy.

Authorities stated that the list of missing persons had grown to 86 after the family of 65-year-old Jahangir Shah reported him at the missing persons desk. Officials noted that some entries were repeated and were currently being verified to avoid duplication.

Rescue officials further disclosed that three victims, whose remains were earlier unidentifiable, were identified through DNA testing conducted by the Citizens Police Liaison Committee.

The identified deceased included a 15-year-old girl and two adult men, and families have begun receiving the bodies from the morgue.

Meanwhile, relatives of the missing expressed serious concerns over the removal of debris, fearing that human remains could be taken away along with the rubble during clearance operations.

Search teams managed to enter the building almost 40 hours after the fire erupted late Saturday night, but their work was repeatedly disrupted as fires continued to reignite in various parts of the structure. Thick smoke, extreme heat, and collapsed sections of the building have made rescue efforts increasingly difficult.

Speaking to reporters at the site, a DC South official said that the intact areas of the plaza were also being searched and that pathways were being created inside the building to improve access. He emphasized that the plaza would be demolished only after the completion of all search operations.

Separately, Parts of the nearby Rimpa Plaza have also sustained damage after being exposed for days to intense heat from the Gul Plaza fire, the Sindh Building Control Authority SBCA has confirmed.

SBCA Director General Muzammil Halepota told a private news channel that three floors of the 13-storey commercial building were affected, prompting a visit by an SBCA technical committee on Tuesday.

During the inspection, engineers found two load-bearing pillars had weakened and advised strengthening them through jacketing, a process that involves reinforcing the columns with steel.

Halepota said repair work had already been initiated and that a formal notice had been served on the plaza’s owners regarding the restoration of the damaged pillars.

Earlier, the authority also rejected claims suggesting that official records of Gul Plaza were missing, terming such reports misleading and contrary to facts.

In a statement, the SBCA clarified that all approved documentation, including sanctioned and completion plans as well as construction details, remained properly preserved and available.

It said Gul Plaza was initially built in 1979, with a revised layout approved in 1998, and later brought under legal cover in 2003 through the Regularisation Amendment Ordinance of 2001 in line with applicable rules.

The statement further noted that a revised no-objection certificate for sale and advertising was issued in 2005, under which approval was granted for 1,102 shops across different levels of the building.

This included 175 shops in the basement, 355 on the ground floor, 188 on the first floor, 193 on the second floor and 191 on the third floor.

According to the SBCA, the structure was designed with two staircases connecting the basement to the ground floor, six staircases leading from the ground to the first floor, five staircases between the second and third floors, and 16 emergency exits on the ground floor.

However, South DIG Asad later stated that 14 of these 16 exits were found closed at the time the fire broke out. 
Responding to criticism, the SBCA firmly denied any suggestion that records had disappeared or facts were being concealed, reiterating that all legal and technical documents related to Gul Plaza were intact.

The authority said it was fully cooperating with investigations and would present a factual report to help establish responsibility.

In the latest development, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori met a delegation led by Gul Plaza President Tanveer Pasta, along with Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Javed Balwani.

A statement from the governor’s office said Pasta acknowledged Tessori’s role in ensuring prompt rescue operations and praised him for consistently speaking up for the victims of the tragedy. It added that Pasta had, in principle, agreed to the recommendations put forward by the governor and the chamber, though no further details were shared.