KARACHI: In a harrowing development, at least 30 bodies charred beyond recognition were recovered from a crockery shop of Gul Plaza on Wednesday afternoon, increasing the death toll to 61, officials said.

South DIG Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the bodies had been recovered from a shop called “Dubai crockery” located on the mezzanine floor of the destroyed building.

An area resident, Rasheed, told Dawn that the gutted shop had announced a sale for the wedding season and had extended the shop’s closing time, though generally it was closed at 10pm.

The DIG recalled that relatives of missing persons and shopkeepers had already suggested the possibility of a large number of people being present at the shop. He assumed that the victims were the shop owner, his two employees, a couple and their son, among others.

Death toll climbs to 61; police say bodies found from mezzanine floor; identification awaits DNA testing

DIG Raza said that as per the last contacts of the victims with their relatives, they thought they would be safe there and come out of the shop when the fire was controlled, but ostensibly, they were suffocated to death while waiting.

He estimated that a total of 61 persons had been killed. However, a conclusion about their identification and exact number could be made after receipt of DNA reports.

Regarding the visit of a bomb disposal squad to the site of the incident on Wednesday, the DIG stated that, so far, no mischief had been discovered during the initial investigation of the inferno.

Inquiry committee visits gutted building

Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi, the convener of an inquiry committee formed by the Sindh government to ascertain the circumstances that led to the fire, along with city police chief Additional Inspector Genreal Azad Khan visited Gul Plaza.

Speaking to the media on this occasion, the commissioner said an inquiry has just begun. He said the building’s condition was to a large extent dilapidated, while an adjacent high-rise Rimpa Plaza was also affected, but it had not been declared a dangerous site.

Mr Naqvi lamented that fire safety measures inside the building were not of an international standard.

The city police chief said so far, no evidence about sabotage has emerged. “We are investigating the incident thoroughly,” he said.

He refuted media reports that two dumper trucks carrying debris from Gul Plaza to the KMC ground in Pak Colony had disappeared.

Search operation continues

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s official Zafar Khan, while talking to the media on the spot, said that from Saturday night, when the fire broke out, they have been working day and night.

He said the firefighting teams are still working inside despite the presence of “extreme heat” while cooling work continued simultaneously at two spots in the gutted plaza.

“We will try to retrieve the bodies buried under the debris,” he vowed, adding that firemen were being sent to the spots where the building’s structure was still stable, as our one fireman had already lost his life.

The KMC official refuted charges of delayed response. He said three fire tenders had been sent immediately after receiving information about the fire on Saturday night. There were more fire tenders, but the road was narrowed due to construction activity.

Besides, the shopkeepers had created a chaotic situation and were allegedly snatching pipes from firefighters to extinguish the fire in their shops first, he added.

He said the door of the roof of the building was locked; therefore, people could not reach the roof when they attempted. He said it was the market’s closing time when the fire erupted, which was why most of the doors were also closed.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2026