The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi has risen to 67, officials said Thursday, as rescue teams continued to sift through the wreckage days after the blaze. Police and hospital authorities confirmed that the remains of dozens more victims were recovered from the heavily damaged Gul Plaza, sharply increasing the number of confirmed fatalities from an earlier count of 34.
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said the search operation remains ongoing, with identification proving difficult because many of the remains were found in fragments. Senior police official Asad Raza also confirmed the updated death toll. The fire broke out Saturday at a time when many shop owners were closing or had already left for the day, according to investigators.
The Sindh provincial government has said about 70 people were initially reported missing after flames spread rapidly through the multistory building, fuelled by flammable goods including cosmetics, clothing and plastic household items. Authorities say the cause of the fire is still under investigation, though a possible electrical short circuit is being examined.
Deadly fires are a recurring problem in Karachi, often blamed on poor safety standards, weak enforcement of building regulations and illegal construction. In November 2023, a shopping mall fire in the city killed 10 people and injured more than 20. One of the country’s worst industrial disasters occurred in 2012, when a garment factory blaze claimed at least 260 lives, underscoring longstanding concerns over fire safety in Pakistan’s commercial buildings.