The death toll from a massive fire at a major shopping mall in Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi has climbed past 60, officials said, as search and recovery efforts continued for dozens of people still missing.
At least 30 bodies were recovered from a mezzanine-floor shop, Karachi South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told the daily Dawn. He said the overall death toll was estimated at 61 following the latest discoveries, adding that the final figure would be confirmed after DNA analysis is completed.
Earlier reports said at least 81 people, including women and children, were missing after the blaze.
The fire broke out Saturday at the Gul Plaza shopping center on MA Jinnah Road, a busy commercial artery in Karachi’s historic business district. Flames burned for more than 24 hours before firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control.
Gul Plaza houses around 1,200 shops, including outlets selling clothing, electrical appliances, cosmetics, and crockery. Officials said the presence of highly flammable goods contributed to the rapid spread and intensity of the fire.
“It was a doomsday scene as hundreds of people jostled to exit the building, yelling and screaming,” survivor Mohammad Faisal told Anadolu Agency.
Many, however, were unable to escape and became trapped on upper floors as flames and thick smoke engulfed the structure within minutes.
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Javed Nabi Khoso, deputy commissioner of Karachi’s southern district, said the search operation would continue until the last survivor or body is recovered.
Karachi is no stranger to fires and other urban disasters, largely due to lax regulations and poor enforcement of safety standards.
According to official statistics, around 1,700 fire incidents — mostly small-scale — were recorded across the city last year. Karachi is home to more than 20 million people.
The latest blaze, the deadliest since a 2012 factory fire that killed 289 people, has once again raised serious questions about urban governance, fire safety, and emergency response capacity. The tragedy has also placed pressure on the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The center-left PPP, which is also a coalition partner in the federal government, has governed southern Sindh province — of which Karachi is the capital — for the past 18 years.
Shopkeepers accused authorities of failing to launch a timely firefighting and rescue operation, arguing that faster action could have saved lives and limited damage.
The provincial government and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab rejected the accusations but acknowledged widespread shortcomings in fire safety standards across the city.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has issued a three-day ultimatum to government offices, private buildings and high-rises to implement fire safety measures.
Analysts, however, say the demand is unrealistic without structural reform.
“The city has become ungovernable due to decades of bad governance, unplanned urbanisation, absence of a proper firefighting system, and non-implementation of safety standards,” said Mazhar Abbas, a Karachi-based political analyst.
Kazim Ali, Karachi’s former chief fire safety officer, said the city currently has only about 1,000 trained firefighters, far short of the estimated requirement of at least 15,000.
