The search and recovery operation at Karachi’s Gul Plaza entered another day on Thursday, with rescue teams combing through smouldering debris days after a devastating fire reduced the shopping complex to rubble. The blaze, which erupted last weekend at the multi-storey plaza on MA Jinnah Road, has so far claimed dozens of lives, with the confirmed toll rising to at least 60 and around 88 still missing, officials said. Rescuers are using specialised tools, cutters, and thermal imaging cameras to locate victims trapped under collapsed floors and inside gutted shops.

 

Emergency workers recovered 30 bodies from a single crockery shop on the mezzanine floor, underscoring the tragic scale of the disaster and slowing the painstaking operations.

Authorities continue to clear heavy debris and assess the risk of structural instability as families wait anxiously for news. Public anger over safety failures and inadequate fire precautions remains high.