Karachi Gul Plaza Fire Death Toll Hits 67, 77 Missing

The death toll from the fire that swept through Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping centre has risen to 67, police have confirmed.

Seventy-seven people are still listed as missing by their families after the blaze began on Saturday evening, officials said. The fire took more than 24 hours to bring under control, and the scale of the damage has slowed recovery efforts as teams search through the remains of the 6,500 square metre complex.

Some of the bodies recovered are only partial remains. Authorities have counted 67 skulls and identification is ongoing. So far, 15 victims have been identified.

Gul Plaza housed around 1,200 shops across multiple floors, and the fire struck during Karachi’s busy wedding season, when shopping activity is high.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but witnesses told the BBC that a lack of working fire exits and overcrowded stalls made the situation worse.

Shop owner Rehan Faisal said it took only «five to seven minutes» for the fire to spread through the building. He described being told to lock up and evacuate as the blaze quickly intensified.

Witnesses also said most of the shopping centre’s gates were locked at the time. A senior police official told Reuters that 13 of the building’s 16 exits were locked during the fire.

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