Gul Plaza tragedy: 69 bodies ‘handed over’; search for seven families continues

Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi on Friday said out of the 79 people who died in the Gul Plaza tragedy, the bodies of 69 individuals have been handed over to their heirs.

“Of the remaining ten bodies, DNA testing is being conducted for three, while the authorities are still searching for the families of the other seven individuals,” the commissioner said in a statement.

The development comes a couple of days after Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the rescue operation at the Gul Plaza shopping mall had been completed and the site had been sealed.

“The investigation report will be made public soon, while FIR of the incident has already been registered,” stated the mayor on Monday.

On the directives of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, a fact-finding committee headed by Commissioner Naqvi was constituted, soon after the inferno incident took place at the shopping mall earlier this month.

Days long rescue and search operation was carried out by different rescue bodies and volunteers, before the affected building was finally sealed.

Addressing a press conference alongside Additional IG Karachi Azad Khan and the commissioner on Thursday, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon stated that the provincial government has written a letter to the Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice requesting an inquiry led by a serving judge into the devastating inferno.

In a significant admission of administrative failure, the minister acknowledged delays in providing water to fire tenders during the inferno. Consequently, the Karachi water and sewerage body’s hydrant in-charge has been suspended, he added.

The provincial government also took action against the Civil Defence Department. Despite conducting multiple safety audits of Gul Plaza since 2023 and issuing two notices regarding inadequate emergency arrangements, the department failed to enforce compliance or escalate the violations, Sharjeel said.

Due to this “lack of precautionary and legal measures,” the director of Civil Defence (South) and the additional controller of Civil Defence have been suspended, with departmental proceedings initiated against them, the minister said. They join Municipal Commissioner Afzal Zaidi, who was suspended earlier.