Pakistan: Death toll in Karachi mall fire climbs to around 55, official says

Pakistani firefighters on Wednesday retrieved the bodies of up to 25 people from the debris of a shopping mall fire in Karachi, taking the death toll to around 55.

"A total of 55 bodies have been recovered since Saturday night" when the fire erupted, said Javed Nabi Khoso, deputy commissioner of Karachi's south district. He said the remains had been taken to a hospital for DNA matching. Due to the difficulties in identification, he said it was difficult to give a precise update on the death toll, which stood at 29 on Tuesday.

Recommended For You

Trump says US talks with Iran 'very good'; more negotiations expected

Iran says talks with US in Oman were 'good start', will continue

Suryakumar leads from front as India down US in T20 World Cup

Watch: Fair swing in India collapses in horrifying accident, killing police officer

T20 World Cup: ICC in talks to revive India-Pakistan clash on February 15

 

The port city's largest fire in more than a decade broke out late on Saturday and quickly spread through the sprawling Gul Plaza shopping complex, famous for its 1,200 family-owned stores selling wedding clothes, toys, crockery and other goods.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

Relatives of those still missing have criticised the slow operation at the three-storey Gul Plaza, where rescuers are scouring the wreckage for human remains. More than 50 families have given DNA samples, provincial health official Summaiya Syed told journalists Wednesday.

Firefighters had been battling the inferno inside the mall until Tuesday. By the time it was brought under control, Gul Plaza was reduced to a pile of ash and debris.

A total of 84 people had been registered missing, according to a state-run rescue service. Police have said most of the missing are feared dead, meaning the toll could rise still further.

"It is a doomsday scenario," said shopkeeper Rehmat Khan after seeing inside what was left of the plaza. He said around 18 to 20 people had been in the shop, including six staff, when the fire erupted in the mall. All of them were missing, he said.

The blaze was Karachi's most deadly since an industrial site went up in flames in 2012, killing more than 260 people.