Gul Plaza fire: ‘Give up the bodies, give them peace,’ appeal of the relatives

The administration of Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, has said that the death toll in the fire at Gul Plaza has reached at least 55. Karachi’s South District Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi told the news agency that 55 bodies have been recovered since the incident that took place on Saturday. Relatives of those who are still missing are near the building and are criticizing the administration’s operation, calling it slow. On the other hand, the operation to find human remains in the rubble of the three-story building is also underway. Sindh Health Department official Samia Syed had told reporters on Wednesday that more than 50 families of the missing have provided samples for DNA. Speaking at the Karachi Civil Hospital, she said that “the bodies will be handed over to the respective families after the DNA match is done.” Fires have occurred in Karachi’s markets and factories in the past, which are said to have been caused by the use of poor-quality materials, but such a large-scale fire has rarely occurred. Faraz Ali, whose father and 26-year-old brother were inside the building when the fire broke out, told the AFP news agency. He told P that he wants the bodies to be recovered and handed over to the respective families. “This is necessary so that the affected families can get some peace, at least we can see them for the last time, no matter what their condition is, we want to say goodbye to them.” On the other hand, the provincial government has formed a committee to investigate the incident, but the cause of the fire has not been determined. A large number of relatives of the missing people are still near the Mable and they are still waiting for miracles. Later, after 33 hours of efforts, the fire was brought under control and it was reported that 60 to 70 people are missing. Police say that when their phone numbers were checked, they were near the building. A fire suddenly broke out in a commercial building in Karachi on Saturday night, after which reports of deaths were continuously coming out. The provincial government had also announced Rs 1 crore each for the families of the deceased.