More than 80 people are still missing from the devastating fire that broke out in the densely populated Gul Plaza Shopping Center, according to officials, who conducted search and recovery operations on Thursday.
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According to Karachi South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza, at least 30 bodies have been recovered from a mezzanine-floor store. According to him, 61 people died overall as a result of the most recent discoveries, and the final figure would be confirmed once DNA analysis is finished.
According to Karachi South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso, the bodies were discovered in the “Dubai Crockery” store.
He claimed that the victims had locked themselves up in the store to protect themselves. After a stampede erupted in the mall in the early hours of Saturday’s fire, local media reported that the victims had found refuge inside the store.
According to local media reports, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed grief over the rising death toll and forbade the removal of all debris until all bodies were recovered.
As a result of warning that the death toll could rise even higher, teams were removing samples from remains discovered in the complex for identification.
On Wednesday, a provincial health official told journalists that more than 50 families had given DNA samples.
Once DNA samples are matched, she said outside the Civil Hospital Karachi mortuary, telling the AFP news agency, “We will hand over the [remains] to the family.”
Following the fire, relatives of the missing have expressed concern about the slow operation of the three-story complex.
Faraz Ali, whose father and 26-year-old brother were inside the mall, stated to AFP that he wanted “the bodies to be recovered and handed over to their rightful families.”
“All of that is done to provide some peace and comfort for the families.” The 28-year-old said, “At least let us see them one last time, in whatever condition they are,” so that we can say our final farewells.
Syed Hassan Naqvi, the head of the Sindh government’s inquiry committee, visited the mall on Wednesday and claimed that the fire safety measures did not adhere to international standards, according to local media reports.
The blaze has no known known cause.
Although there are rare cases of deadly fires in Karachi, they are frequently brought on by subpar safety standards and illegal construction.
Ten people died and 22 others were hurt in a fire at a city shopping center in November 2023.
Source: Aljazeera
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