ISLAMABAD: The Sindh cabinet on Tuesday approved a major compensation and rehabilitation package for victims of a fire at a shopping plaza in Karachi, as authorities formally concluded search and rescue operations more than 10 days after one of the city’s deadliest commercial blazes.

The fire, which broke out on Jan. 17 at the multi-story shopping complex in Karachi’s congested Saddar area, killed more than 70 people and took three days to extinguish. Rescue and relief efforts continued for over a week amid unstable debris and severely damaged structures, before the scorched building was sealed by the district administration on Tuesday.

Under the cabinet-approved package, families of those who died will receive Rs10 million ($35,800) each in compensation, while affected shopkeepers will be provided interest-free loans of Rs10 million per unit, with the provincial government bearing the cost of interest. An additional Rs500,000 ($1,790) per shopkeeper has been approved as immediate subsistence support.

“There can be no compromise on human life,” Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said during a cabinet meeting, adding that the government’s priority was to support affected families while ensuring accountability.

“Relief, justice and prevention must go hand in hand,” he added.

The cabinet also constituted a high-level subcommittee, headed by the chief minister, to review the findings of an inquiry committee tasked with determining responsibility for the incident and recommending further action.

Meanwhile, the district administration said rescue operations had officially ended and the Gul Plaza building had been sealed after being declared unsafe and dilapidated. 

“Gul Plaza has been sealed after the search was completed today [Jan.27], following 10 days of operation. Experts from the Lahore Forensic Laboratory and the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) will inspect the building. They will share the cause of the fire once the structure’s inspection is completed,” Javed Nabi Khoso, Deputy Commissioner of District South, where the plaza is located, told Arab News.

Dr. Summaiya, police surgeon in Karachi, told Arab News 73 sets of remains had been processed so far, of which 27 had been identified and one unknown profile had been generated. 

“Fifty-six family reference samples have been collected in connection with 65 missing persons,” she added. 

Fires have become an increasingly frequent occurrence in Karachi, a megacity of more than 20 million people, where fire services remain severely overstretched and under-resourced relative to population density and the scale of commercial activity.

Successive deadly incidents have drawn criticism of the provincial Sindh administration over lax enforcement of building codes, inadequate inspections and limited emergency response capacity.