As the search and rescue operation at Karachi’s Gul Plaza entered fifth day on Wednesday, District South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said that the building would not be demolished as long as even one person remains missing.
Speaking to the media, DC Khoso said that the death toll stands at 28, with 85 more missing in the aftermath of the blaze and added, “when everything is complete, the entire building will be demolished”.
The official noted that location of 39 missing people were traced back to the shopping centre, while 17 bodies recovered from the site are yet to be identified. The DC said 11 bodies had been identified so far.
The port city’s biggest fire in over a decade started late on Saturday at Gul Plaza, which houses 1,200 shops in a multi-storey complex spread across an area larger than a football field.
The blaze in Karachi’s historic centre raged for more than 24 hours before it was extinguished.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
