Karachi Gul Plaza Fire: 19 Dead and 60 Missing
Pakistani firefighters began recovering bodies from the charred remains of a vast shopping mall in Karachi on January 19. More than 60 people remain missing after a huge blaze that killed at least 19 people.
The fire began late on Saturday at Gul Plaza, a multi-storey complex in Karachi’s historic centre that houses around 1,200 shops and covers an area larger than a football field. The blaze burned for more than 24 hours before being largely extinguished, and videos showed flames tearing through the building as firefighters battled through the night.
On January 19, crews moved to cool the structure and clear twisted metal and debris scattered across the street, including fallen air-conditioning units and shop signboards. By afternoon most of the building had collapsed, and cranes surrounded the remaining sections amid fears of further collapse.
Families blame delayed response
Relatives of the missing criticised the rescue effort. Qasir Khan said his wife, daughter-in-law and her mother were among those unaccounted for, and he blamed delays for the high casualty count.
«The bodies will come out in pieces from here. No one will be able to recognise them,» he said.
Hundreds gathered around the site as teams searched for survivors, including shopowners whose livelihoods were destroyed overnight
«We’ve been left high and dry, reduced to zero; 20 years of hard work, all gone,» said shopowner Yasmeen Bano.
Rescue workers brought human remains out in sacks, stopping to drink water after enduring intense heat. Sarfraz Sheikh from the Alkhidmat disaster management agency said 19 people had died and at least 60 were missing.
«There’s no part of the building where things are good or in a state safe enough for someone to come out alive. A miracle is the only thing possible,» he said.
Officials report growing public anger
Sindh province chief minister Murad Ali Shah had earlier reported 15 deaths, including a firefighter, and said 80 people were injured, with 22 discharged from hospital. Anger grew at the site, with protesters chanting anti-government slogans and accusing the fire department of responding too slowly.
Kosar Bano said six relatives went to the mall to shop for a wedding and have not been found.
«The only hope we have is how many hands we will find, how many fingers we will find, and how many legs we will find. That’s it,» she said.
Authorities received the first emergency call at 10:38 p.m. on January 17 reporting ground-floor shops on fire. By the time firefighters arrived, flames had already spread to the upper floors. Images from inside the mall showed burnt shops and a bright orange glow as fire continued to burn.
Firefighters said the mall’s lack of ventilation allowed thick smoke to fill the building, slowing rescue efforts. Provincial police chief Javed Alam Odho said the fire was caused by an electrical fault, but Shah said the cause remained unclear and that an inquiry would be held.
«I’m admitting that there are faults. I can’t say whose fault this is. An inquiry will be conducted and heads will roll,» he said.
The blaze could be Karachi’s worst since a 2012 industrial fire killed more than 260 people, a disaster later ruled to be arson by a court.
