Dozens of body parts are found after shopping plaza fire in Pakistani city of Karachi

The toll from a deadly fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan's largest city could rise sharply after Wednesday's discovery of body parts thought to belong to over a dozen people, officials said.

Meanwhile, the search operation at the fire-ravaged Gul Plaza building in Karachi entered its fifth day on Thursday.

Rescue teams have completed searches in about 70 per cent of the section partially affected by the fire, recovering a total of 60 bodies so far.

Searchers for the first time reached a shop in Gul Plaza in Karachi where many people had sought refuge during Saturday's fire.

Family members protest for the missing victims after a massive fire broke out at a shopping mall in Karachi. AFP

Before the discovery, 29 people had been confirmed dead, according to police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed. She confirmed that the city’s main hospital received more than two dozen body parts during the fifth day of searches.

Javed Nabi Khoso, a government administrator, said initial estimates suggest the remains recovered from the shop may belong to 15 to 25 people.

A police officer takes photos of a damaged building as he guards the street, following a massive fire that broke out in the Gul Plaza Shopping Mall. Reuters

"This is the first time such a large number of remains have been found in one location since the fire,” he said.

Abid Jamal Sheikh, a senior rescue official, also said the body parts could belong to more than a dozen people, but stressed that official confirmation was pending.

Deputy Commissioner South visited the site on Thursday to review relief operations. He said the first phase focused on areas of the building that had not collapsed and where the structure was still standing.

Rescue and emergency team members gather near heavy machinery before starting their search for survivors. Reuters

“So far, DNA samples of 50 bodies have been obtained, while some bodies have burned to such an extent that extracting DNA from bones has become difficult,” he added.

The reason for the blaze is still under investigation. Police have said a short circuit may have triggered the fire.

Meanwhile, dozens of mourners attended the first funeral, that of Shahroz Iqbal, a shop owner who died in the fire.

People check names of missing relatives on a list after a massive fire broke out at a shopping mall in Karachi. AFP

Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak enforcement and illegal construction.

In November 2023, a mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012 when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.

Associated Press