KARACHI: Search and rescue operations continued for a fifth consecutive day on Thursday at Karachi’s Gul Plaza, where a devastating fire has so far claimed more than 60 lives, as rescuers combed through smouldering debris to recover bodies and human remains.
The blaze erupted late Saturday night at the commercial plaza located on MA Jinnah Road. Although authorities said the fire was brought under control after more than 24 hours on Sunday, flames reignited on Monday due to lingering heat and combustible material trapped under the rubble, forcing firefighting efforts to resume.
Gul Plaza, a ground-plus-three-storey building housing around 1,200 shops over 8,000 square yards, partially collapsed during the inferno. Rescue 1122’s urban search and rescue teams have been working round the clock, using specialised equipment including thermal imaging cameras, cutters and heavy tools to locate bodies buried beneath the wreckage.
Relatives of missing persons have expressed anguish over what they describe as a slow-paced operation. More than 50 families have submitted DNA samples, police surgeon Dr Sumaiya Syed confirmed earlier, saying remains would be handed over once identification was completed.
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“We want the bodies recovered and returned to their rightful families,” said Faraz Ali, whose father and 26-year-old brother were inside the mall at the time of the fire. “At least let us see them one last time so we can say goodbye,” he told AFP.
In a grim development on Wednesday, authorities recovered at least 30 bodies from a gutted shop named Dubai Crockery on the mezzanine floor. Karachi South DIG Syed Asad Raza said three bodies were recovered earlier in the day, taking the toll from 28 to 31, before the discovery at the shop pushed the estimated death toll to 61.
On Wednesday, in a harrowing development, at least 30 bodies were recovered from a gutted shop of the ill-fated plaza.https://t.co/qKQQCQ6whK
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 22, 2026
Meanwhile, an inquiry committee formed by the Sindh government visited the site. Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi, who is heading the probe, said investigations were at an early stage and noted that fire safety arrangements in the building did not meet international standards. He added that the adjacent Rimpa Plaza had been affected but was not yet declared dangerous.
Additional IG Azad Khan, a committee member, said no evidence of sabotage had emerged so far and dismissed reports of missing debris-carrying trucks. KMC’s Zafar Khan said firefighting and cooling operations were still ongoing amid extreme heat, rejecting allegations of a delayed response.
Officials acknowledged that exits were closed at the time of the fire, as the market was nearing closing hours, a factor now under scrutiny as investigations continue into one of Karachi’s deadliest commercial building fires.
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