KARACHI: The death toll from the Gul Plaza fire has risen to 61 following the discovery of multiple bodies in a single shop during rescue operations conducted on Wednesday.
DIG South Asad Raza revealed that between 20 to 30 bodies were recovered from a crockery shop located on the mezzanine floor. Rescue officials also confirmed the retrieval of human remains from the site.
Earlier, Edhi officials had reported a death toll of 30 from the blaze at Gul Plaza, but the count escalated significantly with the latest findings. Authorities indicated that the number of casualties could continue to rise as search teams face immense challenges navigating the unstable upper floors of the building.
The fire broke out late Saturday at the expansive, multi-storey Gul Plaza shopping complex in the city’s bustling business district. It raged for over 24 hours, severely impeding rescue operations in the densely packed vicinity.
Following extended firefighting efforts that lasted more than a day, emergency crews shifted focus on Sunday to cooling operations and clearing debris. Despite their progress, concerns mounted over the possibility of additional victims remaining trapped inside the wreckage.
By Sunday evening, substantial portions of the building had collapsed, scattering twisted metal, rubble, fallen air-conditioning units, and broken signboards across the streets. Rescue teams cautioned that the remaining structure posed a high risk of further collapse, complicating their effort to uncover remaining victims.
