Death toll from Karachi’s Gul Plaza fire rises to 73
KARACHI: The number of lives lost in the tragic Gul Plaza fire rose yet again as two more bodies were recovered from the remains, taking the death toll to 73.
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed that the death toll has increased to 73.
She added that so far, 23 deceased individuals have been identified, including 16 through DNA matching, six through facial identification and one because of their CNIC.
Dr Syed stated that “all DNA tests” were being conducted at the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Lab at the University of Karachi.
The deadly inferno, which erupted on the night of January 17 at the mall and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished, has so far claimed at least 73 lives and left over 1,100 shops in ruins. Over a week later, efforts to scour through the debris for the remains of the dead are still underway.
Rescue 1122 Chief Operating Officer (COO) Dr Abid Jalal Shaikh told the media that the search operation was in the final phase and would likely be completed on Sunday night.
He pointed out that five per cent of the basement was yet to be searched, which was under debris.
The Rescue 1122 COO said that the operation was halted briefly as the district administration arranged a visit from forensic experts, who collected samples.
The search efforts were resumed when the experts left the premises.
In a first information report (FIR) of the incident, dated January 23, the Karachi police said the fire was an “outcome of negligence and carelessness”.
The case was registered against unknown persons as the police have not nominated anyone in the case.
Funerals held in Karachi, Sukkur
On Sunday afternoon, the funeral prayers of four individuals of a family — out of six who had come to Gul Plaza for shopping when the fire erupted — were offered at Eidgah Ground in Delhi Colony.
Saad, Kausar, Mariam and Misbah were among those identified, while two remained missing.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) Dr Farooq Sattar, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Monem Zafar and PPP’s Syed Najmi Alam were among several politicians who attended the prayers.
Separately, the funeral prayer of one of the victims, Shees, was held near Kashti Chowk in the Garden area. It was also attended by residents and political leaders.
Meanwhile, Sukkur Mayor Barrister Arsalan Islam Sheikh attended the funeral of Mohammad Athar, a resident of Sukkur who lost his life in the incident. Monitoring Desk
