KARACHI: Pakistani authorities on Wednesday said 28 bodies had been recovered from a shopping plaza devastated by a massive fire in Karachi last weekend, with dozens of people still unaccounted for, as officials warned the structure could not be demolished until search operations were completed.

The blaze broke out late Saturday at Gul Plaza, a multi-story commercial building in Karachi’s congested Saddar district, and burned for more than 24 hours before being brought under control. The fire gutted over 1,200 shops, triggered partial structural collapse and forced rescuers to navigate extreme heat, debris and instability inside the building.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Karachi South Javed Nabi Khoso said rescue teams were continuing phased search and debris-removal operations under strict safety protocols, adding that demolition would only be permitted once all missing persons were traced.

“Until even one missing person is accounted for, the building cannot be demolished,” Khoso said “So far, 28 bodies have been recovered, of which 11 have been identified, while 17 remain unidentified. DNA samples have been taken from families and the bodies, and the identification process is ongoing.”

Khoso said authorities had initially received reports of 85 missing persons, of whom 39 had since been located, leaving 28 people still unaccounted for as search operations continued. He said heavy machinery had been deployed to remove large installations such as chillers to reduce load on the structure and allow safer access to critical areas.

“We are focusing on the floors where bodies were found, and then moving toward controlled debris removal,” he said, adding that extreme internal temperatures and structural damage were limiting how long rescue teams could remain inside the building.

Medical officials said the condition of many victims’ remains had made immediate identification impossible.

Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said forensic teams were working to confirm identities through DNA analysis.

“As of now, we can confirm 20 deaths, including six identified and 14 unidentified,” she said earlier, noting that samples from 48 families had been collected to assist with identification, while processing of additional remains was continuing.

Officials have cautioned that figures could change as recovery operations progress.

SAFETY RISKS SPREAD TO ADJACENT BUILDINGS

The scale of the fire has raised broader safety concerns across Karachi’s commercial districts. Authorities said Rimpa Plaza, an adjacent shopping complex, had been declared unsafe after being damaged by falling debris during the blaze and was partially closed pending structural assessments.

Separately, the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has issued notices to building owners and developers across the city, giving them three days to address fire safety deficiencies highlighted in recent audit reports or face legal action under provincial laws.

In a letter to the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD), the SBCA said enforcement would be stepped up following the Gul Plaza disaster, citing long-standing failures in fire exits, alarms, wiring and emergency access in commercial buildings.

Deadly fires are a recurring problem in Karachi, a city of more than 20 million people, where overcrowding, illegal construction, narrow access points and weak enforcement of safety regulations have repeatedly resulted in mass casualties and economic losses.

In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people, while one of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012, when a blaze at a garment factory claimed at least 260 lives.

Provincial officials say inspections and enforcement will be intensified in the coming days, but safety advocates warn that lasting change will depend on sustained oversight beyond emergency directives.