Gul Plaza Fire: Death toll reaches 61 as search operation enters sixth day

Karachi (Web Desk): Rescue teams continued their painstaking search inside Karachi’s Gul Plaza for a sixth consecutive day on Thursday, struggling through unstable debris and smoke-filled corridors in hopes of finding 88 people who remain unaccounted for after the deadly fire.

The operation gained grim momentum a day earlier when the death toll surged to 61 following the recovery of 30 badly burnt bodies from a crockery shop located on the mezzanine level of the shopping complex.

Rescuers reached the area after briefly suspending work on the first and second floors due to safety concerns.

The shop, numbered 144, was identified with the assistance of a trader who told officials he had witnessed several people rushing inside during the chaos that erupted when the fire first broke out.

Authorities believe the victims sought shelter in the shop as panic spread through the mall and a stampede ensued.

Officials at the Missing Persons Cell of the South District deputy commissioner confirmed that 15 of the recovered bodies have been identified so far.

Those confirmed deceased include Mohammad Shehroz, Misbah, Maryam, Kashif, Aamir, Faraz, Farooq, Farqan, Mohammad Ali, Tanveer, Mohammad Rizwan, Churchill Masih, Sarfraz Noor, Mohammad Saad and Mohammad Usman.

The inferno at the shopping centre on MA Jinnah Road is now being counted among the deadliest fire tragedies Karachi has experienced in the past ten years.

Speaking to reporters, Gul Plaza Traders’ Association President Tanveer Pasta dismissed claims that most of the market’s entry and exit points were shut when the fire erupted. He maintained that the main entrances, emergency ramp and mosque access remained open.

Tanveer acknowledged, however, that electricity to the building had been cut as a safety measure, saying those who escaped would not have been able to do so if the power supply had remained on.

Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 officer Muhammad Saleem said teams were cutting through rubble to create narrow access routes, with search efforts underway at multiple locations inside the damaged structure.

District South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said autopsies of 48 bodies have been completed and DNA samples are being collected from victims and their relatives to assist with identification. He noted that some remains were severely damaged, making DNA matching particularly challenging.

Khoso added that the use of heavy machinery to clear debris had been halted temporarily due to fears of further collapse.

Rescuers have since re-entered the building to reassess conditions. He also said authorities had begun issuing notices to commercial buildings lacking basic fire safety measures.

An inquiry has been launched to determine whether any of the plaza’s gates were closed during the incident, with several statements already recorded as part of the investigation.

According to officials reviewing CCTV footage, the fire ignited at 10:07pm on Saturday, January 17, at the rear of the plaza, which housed more than 1,200 shops. Ambulances reached the scene within five minutes, arriving at around 10:12pm. Flames appeared on the MA Jinnah Road side of the building at 10:18pm, indicating that the fire took roughly 11 minutes to travel from the back of the structure to the front.

Firefighters battled the blaze for 39 straight hours before finally bringing it under control.