KARACHI: The death toll from a mall fire in Pakistan’s biggest city rose to at least 55 people, a Karachi government official told AFP on Thursday (Jan 22).
“A total of 55 bodies have been recovered since Saturday night” when the fire erupted, said Javed Nabi Khoso, deputy commissioner of Karachi’s south district.
Relatives of those still missing have criticised the slow operation at the three-storey Gul Plaza, where rescuers are scouring the wreckage for human remains.
More than 50 families have given DNA samples, provincial health official Summaiya Syed told journalists Wednesday.
“We will hand over the bodies (remains) to the family, once DNA samples are matched,” she said outside the Civil Hospital Karachi mortuary.
Fires are common in Karachi’s markets and factories, which are known for their poor infrastructure, but a blaze on such a scale is rare.
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