Rescue operations continued on Monday at Karachi’s Gul Plaza after a devastating fire killed at least 26 people. Firefighters and rescue workers are still pulling bodies from the smouldering ruins. Around 70 people are feared missing as families wait in anguish.
The massive blaze broke out late on Saturday night. It quickly spread through the multi-storey commercial complex. Gul Plaza houses nearly 1,200 shops and covers an area larger than a football field. The fire raged for more than 24 hours before it was mostly brought under control.
By Monday afternoon, most of the structure had collapsed. Heavy cranes were used to demolish remaining sections amid fears of further collapse. Rescue teams continued to work through debris, twisted metal, and shattered shop fronts.
Rescue Efforts Continue Amid Grief and Destruction
Firefighters spent the night cooling down the structure. Debris littered the surrounding streets. Fallen air-conditioning units and shop signboards were scattered everywhere. Videos showed flames tearing through the building as firefighters battled intense heat.
Rescue workers were seen carrying human remains in sacks. These remains are being sent for DNA testing to identify victims. Teams paused frequently to drink water due to extreme heat and exhaustion.
Hundreds of people gathered around the site. Many were shopkeepers whose livelihoods were destroyed overnight. Others were family members searching for loved ones.
Qasir Khan said his wife, daughter-in-law, and her mother went to the mall on Saturday evening. They never returned. He believes rescue efforts were too slow. He said many lives could have been saved with a faster response.
Shop owner Yasmeen Bano described the loss as devastating. She said 20 years of hard work had turned to ashes. Many traders said they were left with nothing.
Families Protest and Demand Accountability
Anger grew as the scale of the tragedy became clear. When Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab visited the site on Sunday night, protesters chanted slogans against the government. They questioned the response time of fire services.
Kosar Bano said six of her relatives went to Gul Plaza to shop for a wedding. The last message she received said they would be home in 15 minutes. Since then, there has been no contact.
She said families are now hoping only to recover remains. Her words reflected the pain felt by many waiting outside the ruins.
Authorities confirmed that the first emergency call was received at 10:38 pm on Saturday. It reported a fire in ground-floor shops. By the time firefighters arrived, flames had already reached upper floors.
Investigation Ordered as Questions Mount
Firefighters said poor ventilation inside the building caused thick smoke. This made rescue operations extremely difficult. Many people are believed to have suffocated before help could reach them.
Images from inside showed charred shops and glowing embers still burning. The scene highlighted the intensity of the blaze.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah admitted there were serious failures. He said an inquiry would be conducted and accountability would follow. He added that it was too early to assign blame.
Provincial police earlier suggested an electrical fault caused the fire. However, the chief minister said the exact cause remains unknown.
This tragedy could be Karachi’s deadliest fire in over a decade. The last major incident occurred in 2012, when more than 260 people died in an industrial fire later ruled as arson.
As rescue operations continue, the city mourns. Families demand answers. Authorities face mounting pressure to ensure such a disaster never happens again.
