The death toll from the fire that broke out at Karachi’s Gul Plaza over the weekend rose to 28 on Tuesday as rescue teams continued searching the debris for the 81 people still reported missing.
According to local media, the Civil Hospital has received 28 bodies thus far, while DNA samples of 50 families have been received for profiling and cross-matching of unrecognizable bodies. Overall, 11 of the 28 deceased have been identified thus far.
Also on Tuesday, Karachi South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso told media rescue teams had cleared the ground and first floors of the multi-story shopping mall. “Search and clearance operations are continuing in the upper floors of the building,” he said, adding rescuers are trying to access the higher floors by cutting through grills.
Building records
A day earlier, the Sindh Building Code Authority had rejected reports alleging the building records for the shopping mall were not available, deeming them “baseless and contrary to facts.”
In a statement, it said all approved records related to Gul Plaza, including sanctioned plans, completion plans, and construction details, were “preserved and available with the authority.” Noting the building was originally constructed in 1979, it said a revised plan was approved in 1998. “Thereafter, under the Regularization Amendment Ordinance 2001, the project was duly regularized in 2003 in accordance with the prescribed rules and regulations,” it said.
“A revised no-objection certificate for sale and advertisement was issued in 2005, under which approval was granted for 175 shops in the basement, 355 shops on the ground floor, 188 shops on the first floor, 193 shops on the second floor, and 191 shops on the third floor, making a total of 1,102 approved shops,” it continued.
According to the SCBA, the building had two staircases from the basement to the ground floor, six staircases from the ground floor to the first floor, five staircases from the second floor to the third floor, and 16 exit routes on the ground floor for emergencies.
As per daily Dawn, of the 16 exits on the ground floor, 14 were locked at the time of the fire.
Safety audit
Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah has said a report about the fire safety audit of buildings in Karachi was conducted in January 2024, but submitted to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Jan. 19, 2026. He claimed the Fire Department and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had conducted the audit, identifying 266 buildings that failed to meet the requirements of fire safety regulations. He maintained the chief minister had expressed displeasure over the prolonged delay in submitting the audit report and vowed the provincial government would take measures to prevent such events from reoccurring.
Among measures directed by the chief minister is the installation of fire alarms in all buildings.
Parliamentary debate
The fire at the shopping mall has prompted debate in Parliament, with lawmakers of opposing political parties trading blame for the tragedy. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Shehla Raza defended the chief minister’s absence from the site of the incident, as well as the delayed arrival of Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab. “The most important thing is for rescue to arrive there,” she said, claiming such tragedies happen globally and it was unfair to blame the provincial government.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan MNA Farooq Sattar, meanwhile, urged the federal government to declare the incident a national tragedy. “Karachi has been giving 65% of revenue for 75 years,” he claimed and proposed the formation of an investigation committee and the operationalization of the Department of Civil Defense. “Karachi should be given priority in national policies,” he said.
Separately, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori proposed to relocate affected traders to the parking plaza.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif indicated the 18th Amendment, calling for provincial autonomy, had failed to deliver benefits to the people. He proposed empowering local governments nationwide, maintaining this was the only means to prevent tragedies like Gul Plaza from repeating.