KARACHI: The death toll from the devastating Gul Plaza fire rose to at least 71 on Friday, as rescuers recovered more human remains from the rubble of the gutted shopping centre, underscoring the scale of one of Karachi’s deadliest commercial building disasters in recent years.
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed released an updated list of the deceased, confirming that 16 victims have so far been identified, including nine through DNA testing, while samples from 49 families have been processed. Officials cautioned that the final death toll may rise further once all remains are identified.
The inferno erupted on the night of January 17 and took nearly 48 hours to fully extinguish, reducing the ground-plus-three-story mall to ruins and causing partial structural collapse. As search teams continue to uncover bodies from different sections of the building, authorities say only the completion of identification will determine the true scale of the tragedy.
South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said the rescue operation had entered its final stages, expressing hope that searches would be concluded later on Friday. He added that 77 people were initially reported missing, with recovery work being carried out under the supervision of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA).
Rescue 1122 Director General Brigadier (retd) Wajid Sibghatullah Mahar said teams were still working in 10 to 15 per cent of the building that had previously been inaccessible, particularly the ground floor, where the fire is believed to have originated.
“There are concerns that we have not yet reached the ground floor,” he told reporters. “We hope to find more bodies from there.”
Defending the rescue operation, Mahar said teams were equipped with modern technology but faced extreme conditions, as the blaze had intensified into a third-degree fire by the time responders arrived. He said 15 to 20 people were rescued alive during the initial stages of the incident.
Preliminary findings suggest the fire broke out in a flower shop and spread rapidly through the building’s duct system. However, Mahar noted that police were still investigating the cause of the fire’s swift spread while raising serious questions over the absence or failure of the building’s fire safety systems.
As Karachi mourns its dead, the Gul Plaza tragedy has once again sparked urgent debate over building safety, enforcement failures, and the human cost of regulatory neglect in the country’s largest city.
The rising death toll at Gul Plaza is a painful reminder of how negligence, weak safety enforcement, and delayed emergency response continue to cost innocent lives in Karachi. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. Authorities must ensure a transparent investigation and hold those responsible accountable—otherwise tragedies like this will keep repeating. Enough is enough.