Karachi: The death toll in the devastating Gul Plaza fire tragedy has risen to 71, as authorities confirmed on Saturday that around 80 percent of rescue and search operations have been completed, nearly a week after the inferno erupted.
Officials said debris removal from the demolished sections of the plaza is underway, while identification of victims continues. So far, 20 bodies have been identified, including 13 through DNA testing, as several bodies were severely burnt, complicating the identification process.
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Tariq stated that 71 bodies and human remains have been recovered from the site. She added that DNA profiling remains challenging due to the condition of the remains, and efforts are ongoing to identify the remaining victims.
Authorities also revealed that four digital video recorders (DVRs) were recovered from the rubble, which could help investigators determine the cause of the fire. During debris clearance, valuables including 1.5 kilograms of gold and more than Rs100,000 in cash were found in a basement shop and returned to their owners.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while addressing the provincial assembly, said that 88 people were initially reported missing after the fire. However, one person later returned safely, while five names were found to be duplicated, bringing the actual number of missing persons to 82.
“Out of these, 67 bodies have been recovered so far, and 15 individuals are still missing,” the chief minister said.
Meanwhile, Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori announced that he would write to the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court, seeking a judicial inquiry into the Gul Plaza fire incident. He stressed that those responsible must be identified and punished without delay.
Criticising the Sindh government, the governor said the provincial administration could not be absolved of responsibility for the tragedy. He questioned the handling of rescue efforts and highlighted reports that water tankers were stuck in traffic near Guru Mandir during the emergency.
Investigative sources said the fire reportedly started at a shop selling artificial flowers, where children were allegedly present at the time. However, the final cause of the blaze has yet to be officially determined.