ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Karachi are focused on ongoing rescue operations and the identification of victims and handover of remains to families, the city’s mayor said on Friday, after a deadly fire at a shopping plaza killed at least 67 people this month.
The blaze broke out on Jan. 17 at Gul Plaza, a densely packed commercial building in the heart of the city, trapping workers and shoppers inside and burning for more than 24 hours before being brought under control. Recovery operations are still underway as teams sift through unstable debris at the site.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said in a statement the city administration remained focused on retrieving remains and returning them to families as quickly as possible. His remarks came after he visited the homes of several victims, according to a statement from his office.
“Rescue personnel of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation are still engaged in the rescue operation, while the administration is making every effort to hand over [remains] of the victims, loved ones to their families at the earliest,” Wahab was quoted as saying.
A worker uses a blowtorch to cut the iron amid rubble, following a massive fire that broke out in the Gul Plaza Shopping Mall in Karachi, Pakistan, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
