- Identification of eight bodies completed, says police surgeon.
- Rescuers trying to gain access to second and third floors: DC.
- “We must learn from this tragedy,” says Sindh governor.
The death toll from a devastating fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza rose to 28 on Tuesday as rescue teams continued searching the smouldering building, with 81 people still missing.
Talking to Geo News, police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that 28 bodies have been brought to the Civil Hospital so far and samples of 50 families have been received for DNA profiling and cross-matching.
The port city’s biggest fire in over a decade started late on Saturday at Gul Plaza, which houses 1,200 shops in a multi-storey complex spread across an area larger than a football field.
The blaze in Karachi’s historic centre raged for more than 24 hours before it was extinguished.
The police surgeon said that the number of missing people stands at 81, adding that some names in the list were repetitive and that 74 of the missing people have been confirmed.
The police surgeon said that all the samples of family members of missing persons have been sent to the Sindh Forensic DNA Laboratory, adding that the DNA tests of the bodies would be conducted at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Karachi.
She further said that samples have been obtained from 14 bodies, and the identification of eight bodies has been completed.
Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori proposed to relocate the affected traders to the parking plaza.
Talking to a delegation of the business community, the governor said: “The parking plaza is lying vacant. It is proposed that the affected traders be shifted there.”
“We must learn from this tragedy,” he said, adding that if such a dangerous plaza has been built or is being built in the city, it should be stopped.
Seperately, Karachi South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said rescue teams have cleared the ground and first floors of the multi-story shopping mall.
He added: “Search and clearance operations are continuing in the upper floors of the building.”
The deputy commissioner said rescue teams were trying to gain access to the second and third floors by cutting through grills.
’24 out of 26 gates closed’
Touching upon the Gul Plaza incident while speaking on the National Assembly floor today, Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Shehla Raza said that it was not necessary for the province’s chief minister and ministers to reach the incident site.
“The most important thing is for the rescue [teams] to arrive there,” said Raza.
Acknowledging the traffic issue, the PPP leader admitted poor management and revealed that 24 out of the total 26 gates of Gul Plaza were in fact closed.
Expanding on the building’s history, Raza said that the plaza was built in 1980 with 180 shops in its basement and 405 shops on the ground floor.
In 1998, she added, the decision was made to establish shops in the parking area as well as the corridor.
Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) MNA Farooq Sattar called for the Gul Plaza incident to be declared a national tragedy.
“Karachi has been giving 65% of [country’s] revenue for 75 years,” remarked Sattar.
Questioning the government about the place of Karachi in its priorities, the lawmaker called for an investigation committee to be formed and the operationalisation of the Department of Civil Defence.
“Karachi should be given priority in national policies,” stressed the MQM-P leader.
