Gul Plaza fire death toll rises to 17, around 70 still missing

The death toll from the Gul Plaza fire has risen to 17, while around 70 people are still reported missing.

According to the Sindh government’s helpline desk, 70 missing persons were registered a day earlier, with three more names added to the list on Monday. Officials said that several women are also among those still unaccounted for.

Rescue authorities said the fire at Gul Plaza has largely been brought under control and cooling operations are under way. Search efforts are continuing to trace the missing individuals.

The fire broke out at the shopping plaza on MA Jinnah Road at around 10:15pm on Saturday. The blaze started on the ground floor and quickly spread to the third floor, causing severe damage and the collapse of several parts of the building.

Firefighters fully extinguished the fire after 33 hours, after which cooling operations began.

Officials said that rescue teams entered the building once the fire was controlled and carried out a limited search inside the burnt shops. During the operation, body parts of three people, including a child, were recovered and shifted to the Civil Hospital trauma centre.

Authorities have so far confirmed the deaths of 17 people in the incident.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, addressing a press conference, said that the fire broke out at around 10:15pm and added that the exact cause had not yet been confirmed, though a short circuit was suspected.

The chief minister said that 24 fire brigade vehicles, 10 bowsers and four snorkels were used in the firefighting operation. He added that around 100 firefighters from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and another 100 from Rescue 1122 took part in efforts to control the blaze.