- The authorities officially consider 82 people missing.
- “Four DVRs recovered” from the rubble during the search.
- Gold and cash recovered, returned to their owners: officials.
The death toll in the Gul Plaza inferno tragedy has risen to 71, as authorities said on Saturday that at least 80% of rescue and search operations have been completed, almost a week after the fire broke out.
Authorities also said that work is underway to move debris from the demolished parts, adding that at least 20 bodies have been identified so far.
As many as 13 bodies were identified with the help of DNA, they added, adding that the list of missing persons includes 82 names.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Tariq said 71 bodies and human remains have been brought from the Gul Plaza site so far, and the DNA process is complicated as the bodies recovered from the site had been severely burnt.
Authorities said efforts are underway to establish the identities of the remaining victims.
They added that during the search operation four digital video recorders (DVR) were recovered from the rubble, which could provide important evidence to determine the causes of the fire.
They added that during the debris removal, valuable items including 1.5 kilograms of gold and over Rs 100,000 in cash were recovered from a shop in the basement and returned to their respective owners.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, addressing the provincial assembly, said that a total of 88 people were initially reported missing; however, one later returned safely.
“Five of the names were duplicated, bringing the actual number of people missing after the fire to 82. Of these, 67 bodies have been recovered. At this time, 15 people are still missing,” he added.
In a press conference on Friday, Governor Tessori stated that he would write letters to the Chief Justices and the Sindh High Court (SHC) to conduct an inquiry into the fire incident.
“Those responsible must be identified and punished without delay,” he added.
His comments came amid ongoing rescue efforts, as teams continue to search for more people missing in the devastating inferno that erupted last Saturday night.
Investigative sources said the fire occurred in a store selling artificial flowers, where children present were reportedly playing at the time of the incident; however, the final cause has not been declared.
Criticizing the Sindh government, the governor stated that the administration cannot be exempted from the responsibility for the Gul Plaza tragedy.
He also questioned the handling of the incident and its consequences, saying those responsible were not present at the scene when needed.
Governor Tessori said water tankers were still stuck in traffic near Guru Mandir, as highlighted by journalist Arshad Vohra.
“The administration is responsible. People pay taxes and then are expected to tolerate mismanagement. These types of incidents will continue to occur until all those responsible are punished,” the governor said.
