Rescuers continued searching the burnt remains of Karachi's Gul Plaza as families submitted DNA samples to identify dozens reported missing after a massive fire. Police have confirmed at least 29 deaths four days after the blaze, and officials say the toll may rise. Authorities have verified 39 people as missing and collected DNA from 51 families; only seven of the 29 victims moved to the Edhi Foundation morgue have been matched and released. Families criticised the pace of recovery and urged quicker identification for closure.
Karachi Mall Inferno: Rescuers Scour Gul Plaza Rubble as Families Provide DNA Samples
Families have criticised authorities for the slow recovery operation at the mall (Rizwan TABASSUM)(Rizwan TABASSUM/AFP/AFP)
Rescue teams continued to comb the charred remains of Karachi's three-storey Gul Plaza on Wednesday as relatives provided DNA samples to help identify dozens reported missing after a devastating fire destroyed the shopping complex.
Four days after flames tore through the mall, police have confirmed at least 29 people were killed, a figure officials warn is likely to rise. "With the help of the police, we have verified 39 missing persons as yet," Karachi South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso told AFP. Nearly 50 additional people listed as missing remain unverified.
Families and residents criticised what they described as a slow recovery operation. AFP journalists at the scene reported rescuers recovered at least five human remains on Wednesday as work continued amid the ruins.
At Civil Hospital Karachi, provincial health official Summaiya Syed said DNA samples had been collected from 51 families so far to support identification efforts. "We will hand over the bodies (remains) to the family, once DNA samples are matched," she told reporters outside the hospital mortuary.
'Some Comfort, Some Peace'
Relatives expressed deep anguish and differing wishes about how to handle identified remains. Muhammad Saleem, 50, said his family would not bring recovered remains home if DNA confirmed they belonged to his three missing relatives: "They are bringing only remains wrapped inside clothes. Our family members still believe that they are alive. They will go mad, if they see these remains. We will not show them to anyone and will bury them."
Faraz Ali, whose father and 26-year-old brother were inside the mall, urged authorities to speed up recovery and identification: "That is all so that the families may receive something, some comfort, some peace. At least let us see them one last time, in whatever condition they are, so that we may say our final goodbye."
Of the 29 victims moved from the hospital to the Edhi Foundation morgue for identification, only seven have been DNA-matched and released to families so far.
Fires are a recurring hazard in Karachi's markets and factories, often linked to poor infrastructure and safety enforcement, but an inferno on this scale remains unusual in the city. A government committee has launched an investigation into the blaze, although authorities have not yet determined its cause.
The three-storey Gul Plaza housed roughly 1,200 shops and was known for its wedding stores and home-decor outlets. Recovery teams and forensic staff continue to work at the site amid calls from families for a faster, more transparent identification process.
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