KARACHI: Firefighters and rescue personnel were working through the charred remains of Karachi's Gul Plaza on Monday, where a massive fire had claimed at least 26 lives and left around 83 people missing.
Speaking to Geo News, South District Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said that two more bodies were recovered on Monday night.
Noting that the ground and first floors had been cleared, Khoso said the rescuers were trying to access the second and third floors.
Noting that the number of missing people stands at 81, the official pointed out that some names in the list were repetitive and that 74 of the missing people have been confirmed.
Khoso also said that so far 20 bodies stand officially confirmed.
The city's biggest fire in over a decade started late on Saturday, which houses 1,200 shops in the multi-storey complex spread across an area larger than a football field. The blaze in Karachi's historic centre raged for more than 24 hours before it was mostly extinguished.
Touching upon the Gul Plaza incident while speaking on the National Assembly floor today, Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Shehla Raza said that it was not necessary for the province's chief minister and ministers to reach the incident site.
"The most important thing is for the rescue [teams] to arrive there," said Raza.
Acknowledging the traffic issue, the PPP leader admitted poor management and revealed that 24 out of the total 26 gates of Gul Plaza were in fact closed.
The lawmaker further questioned as to why the blaze continued to rage despite the attempts to douse it by using water.
Expanding on the building's history, Raza said that the Gul Plaza was built in 1980 with 180 shops in its basement and 405 shops on the ground floor.
In 1998, she added, the decision was made to establish shops in the parking area as well as the corridor.
Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) MNA Farooq Sattar called for the Gul Plaza incident to be declared a national tragedy.
"Karachi has been giving 65% of [country's] revenue for 75 years," remarked Sattar.
Questioning the government about the place of Karachi in its priorities, the lawmaker called for an investigation committee to be formed and the operationalisation of the Department of Civil Defence.
"Karachi should be given priority in national policies," stressed the MQM-P leader.
Speaking on Geo News' programme "Geo Pakistan", Sindh Rescue Service (Rescue 1122) COO Abid Jalaluddin said that the Gul Plaza fire was of third degree in its severity.
Noting that the rescue response was prompt, Jalaluddin denied any delay and said that a search was underway at the building's second and third floors while giving due weightage to the safety of the rescuers.
"No dead body has been found from the third floor of Gul Plaza yet, the official remarked.
Terming the provision of fire alarms in buildings, the Rescue 1122 COO shed light upon the significance of sprinkler sytem in buildings — a key fire-prevention measure adopted globally.
Most of the building had crumbled by Monday afternoon; cranes demolished the remaining structure amid fears it might collapse.
Qasir Khan said his wife, daughter-in-law and her mother had gone to the mall on Saturday evening and were among those still missing.
"The bodies will come out in pieces from here. No one will be able to recognise them," Khan said, blaming the rescue effort for not being swift enough. "They could have saved a lot of people."
Hundreds of people surrounded the building as rescue teams searched for survivors, including shopowners whose life's work was reduced to ash overnight.
"We've been left high and dry, reduced to zero; 20 years of hard work, all gone," said shopowner Yasmeen Bano.
After over 50 hours into the operation, the Rescue teams entered the gutted building, said the Rescue 1122 spokesperson, adding search and rescue operation is underway inside the building.
Rescue teams are clearing Gul Plaza's rooftop with the help of cranes, with several vehicles already recovered from the gutted building.
At least seven cars have been retrieved, with rescue officials confirming two vehicles, in proper condition, have been handed over to their respective owners, who drove them away to secure locations themselves.
The operation to remove vehicles from the rooftop is currently underway.
A trader, Aamir, expressed surprise at the recovery, saying: "Remarkably, both of our cars are safe."
He added that cars and motorcycles had been parked on the commercial building’s rooftop. The trader added that two people who worked at his shop are unaccounted for.
Rescue workers were bringing human remains out in sacks before sending them for DNA testing. They stopped regularly to drink water after enduring intense heat from the debris.
Anger was bubbling when Karachi's Mayor Murtaza Wahab visited the site on Sunday night, with people chanting anti-government slogans and protesting about the response time from the fire department.
Kosar Bano said six of her family had gone to the mall to shop for a wedding. The last time she heard from them, they said they would be home in 15 minutes.
"The only hope we have is how many hands we will find, how many fingers we will find, and how many legs we will find. That's it," she said.
DNA samples have been collected from 20 bodies at Civil Hospital, a police surgeon said, adding that 50 families have already submitted their samples.
DIG South Asad Raza also confirmed that DNA samples are being taken from family members of missing persons and being sent to the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Laboratory.
He added that cross-matching will continue over the next three days.
The provincial forensic lab at the University of Karachi has received samples from bodies recovered in the Gul Plaza tragedy, sources told Geo News.
They added samples from six bodies that were severely burnt in the fire were sent to the forensic lab alongside 10 reference samples. The identification of the victims would take time, the sources said.
The authorities launched an inquiry into the devastating fire at the shopping centre, which will be headed by the Karachi commissioner.
In a statement, Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi has said that the probe committee will hold its first meeting on Tuesday (today).
He said the committee would review all data collected so far in connection with the incident, adding that, according to available information, the death toll has reached 26.
The commissioner said the investigative committee had been constituted earlier on Monday and that facts and causes behind the fire would come to light within the next few days.
Naqvi said the district administration is currently engaged in rescue and relief operations, adding that anyone found guilty of criminal negligence or wrongdoing would be brought to justice.
The commissioner said the plaza contained highly flammable material, which contributed to the intensity of the blaze, and added that work on DNA identification and missing persons is underway.
According to rescue services, authorities received the first emergency call at 10:38pm on Saturday, reporting that ground-floor shops were on fire. By the time firefighters arrived, the flames had already spread to the upper floors, engulfing much of the building.
Images of the mall's interior revealed the charred remains of stores and a bright orange glow as flames continued to rise throughout the building.
Firefighters said Gul Plaza's lack of ventilation caused thick smoke to fill the building and slowed efforts to reach people trapped inside.
"I'm admitting that there are faults. I can't say whose fault this is. An inquiry will be conducted and heads will roll," Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said.
Provincial police chief Javed Alam Odho earlier said the fire was caused by an electrical fault, but Shah said the reason was still unknown.
The blaze could be Karachi's biggest since an industrial site went up in flames in 2012, killing more than 260 people. A court ruled in 2020 that the disaster involved arson.
— Additional input from Reuters
