The confirmed death toll from a weekend fire at Gul Plaza in Karachi stands at 29, but officials say it could rise after rescuers recovered multiple human remains at a shop where many had sheltered. The city hospital reported receiving more than two dozen body parts during the fifth day of searches. Authorities suspect an electrical short circuit may have started the blaze, though formal identification and investigation are ongoing. The tragedy echoes previous deadly fires in Karachi linked to weak safety enforcement.
Scores Of Remains Recovered After Devastating Gul Plaza Fire In Karachi
People take part in a candle light vigil for the victims of shopping mall fire incident, in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
KARACHI, Pakistan — Rescue teams working at the scene of a weekend blaze at Gul Plaza in Karachi recovered dozens of human remains on Wednesday, raising the possibility that the confirmed death toll could rise sharply.
Search crews reached a shop inside the plaza for the first time; many people had taken shelter there when the fire broke out on Saturday. Before those discoveries, authorities had confirmed 29 deaths.
People offer funeral prayers of Shahroz Iqbal, who was killed in the shopping mall fire incident, in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed told reporters that the city’s main hospital received more than two dozen body parts during the fifth day of recovery operations. Government administrator Javed Nabi Khoso said early on-site estimates indicate the remains recovered from that shop may correspond to roughly 15 to 25 people.
Officials cautioned that formal identification is pending and that figures could change as forensic work continues.
Abid Jamal Sheikh, a senior rescue official, said the recovered remains appear to belong to more than a dozen victims but emphasized that forensic confirmation is required before officials can update the official toll.
Rescue workers and firefighters with heavy machinery conduct a search operation at a burnt building of a multi-story shopping plaza following a massive fire in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blaze. Police have said a short circuit is a possible trigger, but probes into electrical faults, building safety and firefighting access are ongoing.
On Wednesday, dozens of mourners attended the first funeral for a victim identified as Shahroz Iqbal, a shop owner who died in the fire.
People carry the coffin of Shahroz Iqbal, who was killed in the shopping mall fire incident, during his funeral in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Context
Karachi has experienced several deadly fires in recent years, often attributed to poor safety standards, weak enforcement and illegal construction. In November 2023, a mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters came in 2012, when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.
Investigators say recovery and identification efforts will continue, and officials have appealed for calm while forensic teams work to confirm the identities of the newly recovered remains.
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