KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — The search for dozens of people reported missing after a massive fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s largest city entered a fourth day Tuesday, with the death toll rising to 28 after five more bodies were recovered, officials said.
Rescuers reached some of the most badly damaged sections in the multistory Gul Plaza in Karachi that have either collapsed or been severely weakened since Saturday's blaze, as hope of finding
survivors dimmed.
The reason for the fire, which raged for more than 24 hours before firefighters brought it under control, is still unclear, officials say.
The mall remained mostly inaccessible until Tuesday evening, nearly 72 hours after the blaze began.
A firefighter, Furqan Ali, was among the dead. His colleague Muhammad Aslam, 57, said he was among the first responders inside the building when a main section collapsed, killing Ali and injuring another firefighter.
Nearly a third of the mall has collapsed, according to Dr. Abid Jalal Sheikh, a senior rescue official. “We still cannot enter the upper sections because of the weakened structure and dense smoke in narrow alleys and small shops,” he told The Associated Press.
Mobile phone data showed at least 31 of the people reported missing were inside the plaza on the night of the fire, senior police official Asad Raza said. Authorities believe others reported missing may not have been carrying cellphones, Raza said.
Mehmood Khan told the AP that six members of his family remain missing, “my two 15-year-old nephews, a cousin, and three other relatives.”
He said they were last heard of about an hour after the fire broke out, when they received a voice message saying smoke had filled the building.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that some sections of the building had already been searched and heavy machinery was being used to clear rubble from a portion that collapsed Sunday.
Wahab met with families of the missing, many visibly shaken, and assured them that authorities were making every effort to locate those still unaccounted for.
“We will continue this rescue operation until all missing persons are found,” he told reporters.
Authorities said many of the recovered bodies were burned beyond recognition. In several cases, only body parts were found and DNA testing is underway to identify the victims, according to police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed.
On Monday, Sindh provincial Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the government would provide 10 million rupees ($36,000) in compensation to the family of each person killed.
Rescuers were working around the clock and there was hope some trapped victims might still be found alive, he said.
The sprawling shopping plaza houses about 1,200 shops, most selling imported clothing, cosmetics and plastic household goods. Dozens of the missing were shop owners and customers.
Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, has a long history of deadly fires, often blamed on poor safety standards, lax enforcement and illegal construction.
In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22 others. One of the deadliest industrial disasters in Pakistan’s history occurred in 2012, when a fire at a Karachi garment factory killed at least 260 people.
