A devastating fire at Gul Plaza on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road has left the city grieving, while rescue officials reported an extraordinary sight inside the building’s mosque after flames were extinguished.
After the fire was brought under control, rescue teams continued clearing debris and searching for missing persons when a video recorded by a rescuer began circulating on social media.
The footage shows rescue personnel entering the smoke-filled mosque on the plaza’s first floor, where copies of the Holy Quran were found completely unharmed and untouched by the fire. The rescuer is seen carefully moving the sacred texts to a safe place.
“The mosque on the first floor has been cleared, and no person was found inside,” rescue officials is heard saying, adding that the mosque itself did not suffer damage in the blaze.
The official is heard saying that he recorded the video at around 11pm on Monday night. This video surfaced after rumours spread about the presence of some people trapped inside the mosque.
He repeatedly said rescuers had confirmed that no person was present inside the smoke-filled mosque, adding that the structure had become extremely hot due to the fire.
The official said rescue personnel were moving cautiously along the mosque’s sides as the blaze had weakened the building’s structure, warning the floor could collapse at any moment.
He urged citizens to remain calm, assuring that rescue teams were performing their duties efficiently.
Authorities have confirmed that at least 26 people have died in the Gul Plaza fire, of them, 20 have been identified, while dozens of others remain missing.
Search and rescue operations are are still underway amid fears of further casualties and heavy financial losses from the incident.
