KARACHI: Nine days after the Gul Plaza tragedy, the search and rescue operation has yet to be fully completed, though officials say it has been done around 90 percent. Urban Search and Rescue 1122 teams entered different parts of the plaza and recovered human remains of two more persons from the building, which were shifted to the Civil Hospital for DNA analysis.
After the discovery of human remains of two more people, the total number of remains recovered so far in the Gul Plaza fire has risen to 73 out of 82 missing persons. Of these 73 recovered remains, 23 have been identified, including 16 through DNA testing. Six victims were identified through physical recognition at the start, while one victim was identified later as Tanveer. At least nine people from the list of 82 missing persons are still unaccounted for. According to in-charge CPLC Identification Project Amir Hassan, the death toll has now risen to 73, adding that one more body has been identified as Abdul Haseeb, son of Abdul Waheed, through DNA testing.
Earlier, 15 bodies had been identified through DNA, bringing the total number of DNA-identified bodies to 16, while the overall number of identified victims has reached 23. According to officials, 82 people were reported missing after the incident and 73 remains have been processed so far and now, the search operation continues to trace the remaining at least nine missing persons.
Meanwhile, the search operation continues as teams keep recovering human remains, and the process of identifying the victims through DNA is going on. Following identification, the bodies are being handed over to families, and burials are continuing. On Saturday, funeral prayers for five more victims were performed.
On the ninth day of the rescue operation at Gul Plaza, a technical team from Lahore arrived to investigate the incident and inspected various parts of the building. The team also included forensic experts from Lahore.
Police and the district administration facilitated the technical and forensic teams during the inspection of different locations. The urban search team said marking has been carried out at various spots, with areas where the search has been completed. According to the urban search team, an “H” mark has been placed at several locations inside Gul Plaza to indicate danger and the risk of building collapse.
Deputy Commissioner South Javed Nabi Khoso said the recovery and search operation will be completed today (Monday), while debris removal will continue. He said additional human remains were found overnight and shifted to hospital for DNA testing, adding that an FIR has been registered and it would be premature to comment before the completion of investigations.
The funeral prayers of four members of the same family, among six who lost their lives in the Gul Plaza tragedy, were offered on Sunday at the Eidgah Ground in Delhi Colony after their bodies were handed over to relatives from the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth.
The bodies were transported to the family’s residence in Edhi ambulances. An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said the family, residents of Delhi Colony, had visited Gul Plaza for shopping at the time of the incident. Four victims, including three women, were identified through DNA testing.
The funeral prayers were attended by MQM leaders Farooq Sattar, Aamir Farooq and Shabbir Qaimkhani, Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Munam Zafar Khan, PPP leader Najmi Alam, as well as a large number of area residents, relatives and friends.
According to officials, the deceased identified through DNA were Muhammad Saad, Misbah Parveen, Maryam and Nameera. However, the bodies of Kausar Parveen and Ashraf Ali are yet to be identified.
Similarly, funeral prayer of 18-year-old Muhammad Shesh, who lost his life in the Gul Plaza tragedy, was offered in Karachi on Sunday. The prayer was held at Garden Kashti Wali Masjid, where his father led the funeral. PPP District South President Javed Nagori and PPP South General Secretary Taimoor Ali Siyal were among those who attended the funeral, along with a large number of relatives, friends and local residents. Muhammad Shesh was a resident of Garden Dhobi Ghat, Lashkari Village. The area remained in mourning following the funeral.
While DNA profiling and identification of victims continue and bodies being handed over to families for their final rites, some relatives are still struggling to find their loved ones. Despite ongoing efforts, several families remain in limbo, searching desperately for answers and facing uncertainty about the fate of their missing members.
The family members of missing Imran, son of Ibrahim, have appealed for help as they continue to search for him following the Gul Plaza tragedy. Speaking to the media, the family said Imran was a resident of Lyari’s Nayaabad, Street No12, and had been working at a utensil shop for the past three years.
Imran’s mother said she last spoke to him at around 10pm on the night of the incident, when he told her he was working overtime and would return home by 2am. “He told me he was on night duty. I don’t want anything else, just give me my son,” she said, adding that the family was repeatedly turned away when they tried to get information.
The family said they only learned about the fire the next morning. “We thought he was sleeping in his room but later found out he never came home that night,” they said. According to relatives, Imran is married, has three brothers, and his details have already been submitted in the missing persons list.
They said hospital authorities told them they would be contacted, but no information has been provided so far. Imran’s employer, Sarfaraz, who also worked at Gul Plaza, is reportedly missing as well.
Imran’s friend Mubeen said the family was unaware of the fire until the next day and has been visiting the site since then without receiving any clear response. “They are very poor. Their only earning member is missing and they have no support,” he said, urging authorities to help locate Imran.
Similarly, family members of missing Hafiz Arif have appealed to the authorities to help trace him, as they continue to wait for answers nine days after the Gul Plaza tragedy. Speaking to the media, the relatives said they have been visiting the site and relevant offices daily but have received no clear response so far. A close relative said the condition of Arif’s mother and wife is deteriorating, adding that the family only wants closure. “If our child is no longer alive, hand over his body. If not the body, at least give us his remains so we can find some peace,” the relative pleaded.
Arif’s father recalled his last conversation with his son, saying Arif called him in panic, asking for help after a fire broke out. “He told us he could not understand what was happening. We asked him to recite the Kalima and told him we were coming,” he said, adding that when they reached the site, fire had already spread rapidly through the building.
The family said Hafiz Arif was a resident of Godhra Colony, New Karachi. They alleged the fire spread within minutes from all sides and demanded strict action against the authorities concerned, comparing the incident to past tragedies such as the Baldia factory and Bolton Market fires.
They said Arif was married and had two young children, including an infant barely a month old. “We are not here for compensation,” the family said. “Keep the money. We just want our child, or at least his remains.”
Muhammad Faheem Baqai, a victim of the Gul Plaza fire, said he worked at shop number 140 in the plaza. He told the media that his motorcycle was inside the building and he had gone to retrieve it when the fire broke out. Faheem said there was minor damage to his shop, which was a furniture store. He added that the owner (Seth) asked them to leave the shop and go outside. “We came out, but the smoke was everywhere. It was extremely difficult to escape,” he said.
