Gul Plaza fire: Death toll rises to 28 as rescue teams search for missing

The toll from a major fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping complex has risen to 28, with authorities saying dozens of people remain unaccounted for as rescuers continue clearing the damaged multi-storey building. Officials described it as one of the city’s worst blazes in more than a decade, noting the fire burned for over a day before it was brought under control.\n\nPolice surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Geo News that bodies recovered from the site were shifted to the Civil Hospital and that DNA sampling and cross-matching were underway to identify victims. She said family samples had been collected for profiling and sent to the Sindh Forensic DNA Laboratory, while further testing of bodies would be conducted at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Karachi.\n\nAuthorities said the missing-persons list remained substantial, while also cautioning that entries could include repetition and that verification was ongoing. Dr Syed said samples had been obtained from multiple bodies and that a number of identifications had been completed.\n\nAs the immediate response continued, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori proposed relocating affected traders to a Karachi parking plaza, arguing it was currently unused and could provide temporary relief for shopkeepers who have lost premises.\n\nKarachi South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said rescue teams had cleared the ground and first floors and were working to access upper levels, including by cutting through grills to reach areas still blocked.\n\nThe tragedy also drew debate in the National Assembly. PPP lawmaker Shehla Raza said the priority should be ensuring rescue teams can do their work and acknowledged management failures, alleging that 24 of the mall’s 26 gates were closed. She also recounted the building’s expansion over decades. MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar urged declaring the incident a national tragedy and called for an investigation committee and stronger civil defence capacity, arguing Karachi’s contribution to national revenue should be matched by stronger safety oversight and governance.