- Police surgeon confirms death toll reaches 73, with 23 victims identified through DNA, facial recognition and CNIC
- Rescuers making final push for missing persons recovery as fire gutted over 1,100 shops
- Funerals held in Karachi and Sukkur for multiple victims
- Governor pledges education and housing support for bereaved families
- Calls for judicial commission to determine accountability
- Free fire-safety training programme launched at Governor’s House
KARACHI: The death toll from the tragic Gul Plaza fire rose to 73 on Sunday after the recovery of two more bodies, while families continued to mourn the loss of their loved ones as funeral of some victims was offered in Karachi and Sukkur.
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed that 23 victims have been identified, including 16 through DNA matching, six via facial recognition, and one through CNIC verification. All DNA tests are being conducted at the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Lab at the University of Karachi.
The inferno, which erupted on the night of January 17 and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished, has left over 1,100 shops in ruins. Rescue operations are ongoing, with Rescue 1122 Chief Operating Officer Dr Abid Jalal Shaikh stating that the search is in its final phase, with only 5% of the basement still under debris. Operations were briefly halted to allow forensic teams to collect samples, after which the search resumed.
The victims identified so far include Kashif, Aamir, Faraz, Farooq, Furqan, Mohammad Ali, Tanveer, Mohammad Sharoz, Mohammad Athar, Sarfaraz, Mohammad Hanif, Misbah, Kausar Parveen, Mohammad Saad, Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Usman, Mohammad Rizwan, Marium Wafa, Mohammad Arif, Mohammad Shees, Churchill, Mohammad Rafiq, and Abdul Haseeb.
On Sunday, funeral prayers were held for four members of a family — Saad, Kausar, Mariam, and Misbah — at Eidgah Ground in Delhi Colony, while funerals for other victims, including Shees, were conducted in the Garden area.
Sukkur Mayor Barrister Arsalan Islam Sheikh attended the funeral of Mohammad Athar, a father of four, and announced a special fund to support the bereaved family. Leaders from MQM-P, Jamaat-i-Islami, and PPP also attended.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori visited affected families, pledging to sponsor the education of children and provide housing plots for each deceased family. Criticising administrative delays, he questioned why DNA reports and death certificates were not being delivered directly to families and urged authorities to set up counters at affected sites for quicker processing.
Tessori also called for a judicial commission including the Karachi Mayor, MPAs, and other officials to fix accountability. “I am not saying anyone deliberately sparked the fire, but responsibility must be determined for mistakes, negligence, or lack of preparedness,” he said, stressing that justice should be delivered.
The Karachi police FIR, registered on January 23, describes the fire as an outcome of negligence and carelessness, with no individual nominated in the case.
Separately, Tessori announced a free fire-safety training programme at the Governor’s House, inviting market associations and organisations to participate, aimed at preventing future tragedies and raising awareness about fire safety.
The Gul Plaza fire, one of the deadliest incidents in Karachi in recent years, has left a deep mark on the city, highlighting gaps in emergency preparedness and fire safety enforcement, and underscoring the urgent need for accountability, relief, and preventive measures.
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