KARACHI – Death toll in devastating blaze at the Gul Plaza in southern port city of Karachi has climbed to 26 while more than 80 people are still missing amid ongoing rescue operations and cooling process.
The massive fire started on Saturday night and it has been completely extinguished after 33-hour-long operations.
The fire, which started on the ground floor, rapidly spread to the third floor of the building, causing significant structural damage.
Missing Persons List Grows
The Deputy Commissioner South Office in Karachi has updated the list of missing persons following the tragic fire at Gul Plaza, with an additional 12 names added to the list. This brings the total number of missing individuals to 83. Authorities have also reported that the mobile locations of 29 missing people are traced to the vicinity of Gul Plaza.
In a related development, the bodies of 18 individuals who perished in the devastating fire have been identified. Relatives of the missing persons have been instructed to visit the Civil Hospital to submit their data and DNA samples to aid in identification.
Dr. Sumiya Tariq, the police surgeon, confirmed that DNA samples have already been collected from 20 bodies at the Civil Hospital. Additionally, 48 families have submitted their DNA samples for matching. According to DIG Asad Raza, the samples are being sent to the Sindh Forensic DNA Laboratory at Karachi University, where cross-matching will continue for the next three days.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Forensic Lab has received six more samples of bodies found in the aftermath of the fire. These bodies, still unidentifiable, have been transferred to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth for further examination.
Shocking Revelations
The tragic fire that tore through Gul Plaza has taken a dark turn, with new revelations emerging about the events leading up to the disaster.
According to affected shopkeepers, the building, which houses several commercial outlets, has 26 entry and exit points. However, at night, only two doors remain open, with the rest of the gates locked.
Eyewitnesses said that on the night of the fire, 24 of these doors were closed, and there was no emergency exit available. The fire spread rapidly, engulfing the entire market in thick smoke. Shopkeepers described a harrowing scene where visibility was reduced to almost zero, with no way for people to escape quickly. The situation was worsened by a power outage, which left the building in complete darkness.
“People were trapped,” one shopkeeper recounted. “We couldn’t see anything, we couldn’t breathe due to the smoke. There was no way out.” In the chaos, many workers and customers were caught inside the building.
As the fire grew out of control, some individuals lost consciousness from smoke inhalation and collapsed on the floor. Several shopkeepers, who had managed to stay calm amidst the mayhem, helped their fellow citizens by pulling them out of the building, risking their own lives.
Extraordinary Sight
Amidst the wreckage and chaos, a miracle was witnessed by rescues official during the ongoing operation.
As rescue teams continue their search for missing persons and clear the debris, a video filmed during the rescue operation has gone viral. In the video, rescue workers are seen entering the mosque within Gul Plaza, which had been engulfed in thick smoke and fire.
Despite the severe conditions, the mosque remained largely unharmed, and the Holy Quran copies placed inside were found untouched.
کراچی گل پلازہ میں آگ لگنے کے بعد
مسجد کی ویڈیو سامنے آگئی
مسجد میں رکھے قرآن پاک آگے سے محفوظ
رہے، سبحان اللہ
Karachi gul plaza Masjid video#GulPlazaFire #karachigullplaza #KarachiNews #karachifire pic.twitter.com/5saqIcX4N7— Sumair jamil (@sumair_shah123) January 19, 2026
The workers, astounded by the sight, carefully removed the sacred texts and transferred them to a safe location, ensuring their preservation. The fire, while devastating, had spared the mosque and its contents, offering a rare moment of hope amidst the disaster.
President, PM Offer Full Assistance
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif have both reached out to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, offering all available assistance.
The president has instructed that all resources be mobilized for relief efforts and praised the bravery of firefighter Farhan Shaukat, who lost his life during the operation.
The prime minister also expressed condolences and reiterated that the federal government will extend full support.
Sindh Governor Expresses Condolences
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori visited Gul Plaza and expressed his condolences, emphasizing the tragedy of over 70 people going missing. He assured the public that he would remain committed to assisting until the full extent of the damage is addressed.
Karachi Gul Plaza Fire Report Revealed
A detailed report on the recent fire at Gul Plaza in Karachi has been released, revealing serious deficiencies in the building’s safety measures.
According to the report, Gul Plaza lacked emergency exits, and there were no provisions for effectively combating a fire. The narrow internal and external pathways also posed significant challenges to firefighters during the operation.
The building, constructed in 1995, originally comprised a basement, ground floor, and first floor.
However, between 1995 and 2003, three additional floors were added to the structure. The original design had space for 500 shops, but the number of shops grew significantly, exceeding 1,200. This overcrowding further compounded the dangers during the fire.
The fire broke out on the ground floor of the building around 10:15 PM on Saturday night and quickly escalated, reaching the third floor. The intense flames caused parts of the building to collapse, leading to the deaths of at least six people.
Officials have noted that the fire’s rapid spread was exacerbated by the building’s structural deficiencies, including the absence of emergency exits and inadequate firefighting measures.
