Gul Plaza | Pakistan

At least 31 people have lost their lives in the deadly fire at Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road in Karachi, while 86 individuals are still missing as search and rescue operations continue for the fifth consecutive day, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

KARACHI: A committee formed by the Sindh government to investigate the circumstances that led to the devastating fire at the Gul Plaza shopping mall initiated its probe on Tuesday as the death toll reached 28. The Sindh chief secretary had formed the body on Monday, comprising Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi and the Karachi additional inspector general, directing that a report be submitted within seven days. Sources told Dawn that the committee held its first meeting on Tuesday, led by the Karachi commissioner. They said the committee called officials from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Fire Brigade, Rescue 1122 and the owner of the mall and sought details from them. Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that based on the KMC’s audit of various buildings, the SBCA had started to “take action”. “A letter with a list of non-compliant buildings has been sent to the Association of Builders and Developers (Abad),” he said on X. The SBCA letter a...

The National Assembly on Tuesday echoed with calls for empowering local governments (LGs) as lawmakers stressed the need for reforms in the wake of the Gul Plaza fire. Besides members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), PML-N’s Khawaja Asif also favoured strengthening LGs for better city administration. Speaking on the floor of the NA today, MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar called for the “creation of more administrative units” for better governance and strengthening local government systems. “Such a huge burden can not be shouldered by a chief minister alone,” he said. “These powers should instead be handed over to the mayor, town chairman, UC (union council) chairman”. He recalled that MQM-P had also advocated for the inclusion of a clause aimed at strengthening local government bodies in a probable 28th Constitutional Amendment. “Creating an administrative unit is not the division of geography; it is an administrative division, a division of justice and resources,” Sattar maintained. He assailed...

KARACHI: The death toll from the Gul Plaza blaze rose to at least 23 on Monday, with Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab saying that 65 people remained missing. The fire had erupted on Saturday night. The plaza, parts of which collapsed due to the blaze, was a ground-plus-three-storey building with 1,200 shops spread over 8,000 square yards. While the fire at the mall located on M.A Jinnah Road was said to be doused after more than 24 hours on Sunday, firefighting efforts had to resume on Monday as flames reignited from the smouldering debris. In the evening, Karachi South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that 23 bodies had been recovered from the debris. He added that the body parts of some of the victims had been recovered. In a statement, Rescue 1122 Chief Operating Officer (COO) Dr Abid Jalal said that while “more than 20 bodies have been recovered, the final number of dead cannot be stated at the moment”. “Some bodies have been recovered in the form of body parts from various locations,” he said...

Rescue workers on Monday combed through the rubble and debris of Karachi’s Gul Plaza in the aftermath of a deadly fire over the weekend. The fire started late on Saturday at Gul Plaza, which houses 1,200 shops in a multi-storey complex. The blaze in Karachi’s historic centre raged for more than 24 hours before it was mostly extinguished. Videos showed flames ripping through the building as firefighters laboured through the night to put out the blaze. On Monday, they began cooling the structure and clearing twisted metal and debris strewn across the street, along with fallen air-conditioning units and shop signboards. A firefighter works next to the smoldering remains of Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall on January 19, following a massive fire that broke out. — Reuters Police officers, rescue workers and shopkeepers gather at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall on January 19 after a massive fire broke out. — Reuters Rescue workers search for victims on January 19, following a massive fire that broke out in Karac...

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday said that there was no need to politicise the fire which broke out in Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall, saying that it was a “lesson for all of us”. She made the remarks in the Senate after Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Senator Khalida Ateeb called the House’s attention to the incident, lambasting the Sindh government for its negligence. Calling the incident “heartbreaking”, Rehman said that there could be no compensation for all of the lives lost in the incident. She asserted that the entire Sindh government was active and dealing with the situation. However, she conceded that the fire brigade took time to reach the site after the fire broke out as there was a large crowd gathered at the scene. She added that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had announced Rs10m as compensation for the affected families. “Shutting down private enterprise is harmful since this is such a big plaza. But fire safety is necessary for a city like Karachi and one should ask the administration...

The devastating fire at Gul Plaza, a landmark shopping centre on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road, is not merely an accident or an unfortunate lapse in safety compliance. It is a grim reminder that poor governance kills. As rescue operations continue and the death toll rises in the aftermath, what is already evident is that this tragedy was foreseeable, preventable, and rooted in institutional failure rather than fate. Gul Plaza was an old, densely packed commercial building with hundreds of shops spread across its basement and upper floors, with inadequate emergency exits and fire safety systems. Despite its prominence and heavy daily footfall, reports indicate that the building lacked critical emergency exits and fire-venting infrastructure — features that should have been enforced long ago by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). Ensuring compliance with these standards is not optional; it is the statutory responsibility of the authority charged with public safety. The question is not whether a short circui...

KARACHI: A petition was filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday, seeking the initiation of “criminal, departmental and contempt proceedings” against officials found responsible for the Gul Plaza fire. The fire, which erupted late on Saturday night, raged for almost 24 hours before it was doused. The death toll from the inferno rose to over 20 today from six reported on Sunday as rescue workers continued a search operation for several persons reported missing following the incident. Meanwhile, a lawyer, Advocate Saleem Michael, and a resident of Karachi, Muhammad Haris, filed a plea in the SHC, stating that the “tragedy was not an unavoidable accident but a direct consequence of gross negligence, failure of inspection, nonenforcement of safety laws, and maladministration by the respondents who are legally bound to ensure building and fire safety”. The Sindh government, Sindh Building Control Authority, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Karachi’s chief fire officer, the Sindh Emergency Rescue Service dire...

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Monday announced a compensation of Rs10 million each for the families of those who lost their lives in the deadly Gul Plaza fire in Karachi and pledged that the damaged building would be rebuilt after necessary assessments.

KARACHI - A search operation began late Sunday night at Karachi’s Gul Plaza after firefighters managed to douse a massive blaze that raged for nearly 24 hours, with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah confirming six deaths — including a firefighter — and more than 50 people still reported missing.

KARACHI: A search operation at Karachi’s Gul Plaza began after 10pm on Sunday evening as fire crews were finally able to douse the fire after 24 hours, with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah saying that six deaths have been confirmed, but over 50 people were reportedly missing. According to Rescue 1122 officials, their teams had finally managed to enter the charred building to launch a search for survivors and bodies as the cooling process was still underway. The fire, which erupted on Saturday night at the mall located on MA Jinnah Road, had been brought under control by about 70 per cent by late Sunday afternoon, officials said. Speaking to the media at around 7pm, CM Murad said, “I say with utmost grief that so far, it is confirmed that six people have lost their lives, including KMC firefighter Furqan Shaukat.” He added that 22 others were hurt and had now been discharged from hospitals as they had faced minor injuries. “But what is very concerning […] is that around 58 people — some people even say mor...

A fire that erupted at Karachi’s renowned Gul Plaza on Saturday night continued to rage for over 24 hours, as firefighters’ arduous efforts were only able to partially control it. While officials have confirmed six deaths so far, over 50 are reported missing. Scenes from the site showed fire tenders, water tankers and ambulances sprawling MA Jinnah Road, where worried families had gathered in search of their loved ones. Dawn takes a look at some of the scenes that marred the busy commercial road, crowded for an entirely different reason this time. Firefighters and rescue workers make efforts to douse a fire at the Gul Plaza shopping mall on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road on Jan 18, 2026. — Shakil Adil/White Star Firefighters douse a fire that broke out at the Gul Plaza shopping mall in Karachi on Jan 18, 2026. — AFP Shops at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall are reduced to rubble after a blaze erupted the previous night, on Jan 18, 2026. — Shakil Adil/White Star A distressed woman roams Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road, wh...

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the tragic fire at Gul Plaza in Karachi and ordered an immediate inquiry into the incident.

The Sindh government on Sunday said that around 40 per cent of the massive fire at Gul Plaza has been brought under control, while urging political groups not to politicise the tragic incident.

A large fire erupted at the Gul Plaza shopping mall on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road on Saturday night, killing at least three people, according to officials. Dr Sabir Memon, executive director of the Civil Hospital trauma centre, said three dead bodies had been brought to the facility. He said that all three were dead when they were brought to the hospital. South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that seven others were injured. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that the fire erupted in shops located on the ground floor. However, he said there were people stuck on the upper portion of the high-rise building. “Six people have been injured and taken to the hospital,” he said. “Six fire tenders are busy controlling the fire; however, the situation is critical,” he said. Garden Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Mohsin Raza said in a statement that the fire appeared to have been caused by a short circuit at one of the shops, before spreading to the entire mall. He said that sev...