Rescue teams in Karachi continue their painstaking search through the smoldering wreckage of Gul Plaza shopping complex four days after a catastrophic fire engulfed the building. The devastating blaze has claimed at least 29 confirmed fatalities, though authorities anticipate the death toll will rise significantly as recovery operations progress.
Javed Nabi Khoso, Deputy Commissioner of Karachi South, disclosed that 39 individuals have been officially verified as missing, with nearly 50 additional persons remaining on unverified missing lists. The recovery process has drawn criticism from grieving families who have expressed frustration with the pace of the operation. AFP correspondents observed at least five sets of human remains being extracted from the debris on Wednesday.
At Karachi’s Civil Hospital, health official Summaiya Syed reported that DNA samples from 51 families have been collected to facilitate identification of victims. “We will transfer the remains to families once DNA matches are confirmed,” Syed stated outside the hospital mortuary. Of the 29 victims transferred to the Edhi Foundation morgue, only seven have been positively identified and returned to relatives through DNA matching.
The human tragedy has left families confronting unimaginable decisions. Muhammad Saleem, whose three relatives remain missing, explained his family’s resolution not to bring home any recovered remains. “They are bringing only remains wrapped inside clothes,” he expressed. “Our family members still believe they are alive. They will go mad if they see these remains.”
Faraz Ali, 28, whose father and brother were inside the mall during the fire, articulated the anguish shared by many families: “I want the bodies to be recovered and handed over to their rightful families. That is all so that the families may receive something, some comfort, some peace. At least let us see them one last time, in whatever condition they are.”
While fires occur frequently in Karachi’s commercial establishments due to substandard infrastructure, the scale of this tragedy stands as particularly severe. A government committee has initiated an investigation, though the cause of the inferno remains undetermined. The three-story Gul Plaza contained approximately 1,200 retail outlets, notably specializing in wedding merchandise and home decor.