Death toll in Gul Plaza tragedy rises to 64; ‘final search’ underway

The death toll from the devastating Gul Plaza fire has reached 64, according to Rescue 1122 Sindh Director General Brigadier (Retd) Wajid Sibghatullah Mahar, as search teams are now moving into the remaining 10 to 15% of the structure that was “previously inaccessible”.

Several dozen people have been missing since the fire broke out on January 17. Fires are common in Karachi’s markets and factories, which are known for their poor infrastructure, but a blaze on such a scale is rare.

Relatives of those still missing have criticised the slow operation at the three-storey Gul Plaza, where rescuers are scouring the wreckage for human remains.

Speaking to the media, the Rescue 1122 DG confirmed that the majority of the building has been cleared. Operations today will focus on the ground floor—the suspected origin of the blaze—where authorities fear more victims may be discovered.

READ MORE: Gul Plaza tragedy: Govt stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved: Sharjeel

“Operation was carried out in the building until yesterday. 63 to 64 bodies have been recovered so far. Searching of the building will be completed today. There is about 10 to 15% of the area where access had not been possible; that area will be reached and searched today,” he said.

There are concerns regarding the ground floor where the fire originally started, as it has been inaccessible, Mahar said, adding that more bodies may be found there.

A government committee has launched an investigation, but the cause of the inferno was not immediately clear.

“The reasons behind the rapid spread of the fire are being reviewed, and initially, it appears the fire spread through the duct. The police are investigating the matter further,” Mahar said.

He added that so far, it has been reported that the fire started in a flower shop and spread through the duct.

Rescue 1122 possesses modern equipment, including international-standard suits and masks, he said. “When Rescue 1122 arrived here, it was a third-degree fire. No suit exists anywhere in the world that can be used in a third-degree fire,” he maintained.

He also said that it is not expected that anyone is still alive, as seven days have passed since the tragedy. “It is likely that bodies will be recovered from the spot where the fire broke out. When the fire started, 15 to 20 people were rescued and evacuated. A fire safety system was either non-existent in the building or was not functional,” he said.

For the past three days, US GPS radar has also been utilised to check if anyone was still alive, the director general said.

Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori on Friday berated the provincial government over the Gul Plaza tragedy and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.

The Sindh governor said, “I am going to write a letter to the Sindh High Court chief justice and Supreme Court chief justice for judicial inquiry of the incident.” He regretted that scores of kids have already lost their lives by falling into open manhole.