Investigators look at delayed escape and barred entrances in the Gul Plaza fire.

After a large fire started in the Gul Plaza retail center in Karachi, a fire engine is parked adjacent to the scene. Reuters
Following the discovery of additional bodies from a crockery shop, the number of fatalities from the deadly fire in Gul Plaza has increased to 60, with 86 people still unaccounted for, according to authorities on Thursday.

Authorities stated that as activities and investigations are still ongoing, neither the final casualty count nor the end of debris removal have been scheduled.

As rescue and debris-removal efforts at the destroyed building continue, an investigation team has been called in to look into the tragedy from every possible angle.

The majority of the building’s doors were closed at the time of the incident, according to investigators, and only two exits were open, allowing individuals to try to flee.

Sources claim that some trapped people attempted to escape the building by breaking down a door during the fire.

Several bodies were found in the same store.
In the meantime, heavy machinery was being used by search and rescue crews to remove debris from the damaged building.

According to officials, concrete beams and roof slabs are being broken by heavy gear.

The remains of several individuals were found during the search and taken to Karachi’s Civil Hospital for identification.

Because of their extreme deterioration, the remains have been sent for DNA cross-matching.

More bodies are thought to be trapped.
More bodies are still thought to be trapped inside the structure, according to Tanveer Pasta, chairman of the Gul Plaza Shopkeepers Association.

Rescue crews are still working to recover bodies, he told Aaj News, but many of the victims are being discovered in very bad shape.

Meanwhile, using CCTV footage, officials have recreated the sequence of events leading up to the fatal incident at Gul Plaza.

CCTV footage shows that the fire started on the back side of the plaza at 10.07 p.m., and by 10.12 p.m., ambulances had started to arrive.

According to the sources, at 10.18 p.m., flames appeared on the building’s side facing M.A. Jinnah Road.

In eleven minutes, the fire spreads.
According to officials, the fire spread from the back of the structure to the front in eleven minutes.

In the meantime, a number of videos taken during the incident have appeared on social media, depicting individuals stranded within the plaza frantically looking for ways out as the smoke and flames spread.

The total number of fatalities, according to authorities, has risen to 60 when the remains of 20 to 25 people were found in one store within the plaza.

According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Asad Raza, dead were found on the mezzanine floor of a crockery business where individuals had allegedly locked themselves in an effort to escape.

Phone location was tracked to the same location.
The DIG stated, “These individuals’ last mobile phone locations were also traced to the same spot.”

He continued by saying that information concerning persons being trapped on the mezzanine floor led to the temporary suspension of the third-story rescue effort.

The removal of debris has been temporarily suspended, and recovering bodies are now given priority.

According to officials, as activities continue, the death toll can increase much further.