Gul Plaza Inferno Doused, Death Toll Rises to 14 as Search Continues

Published On 19 Jan, 2026

KARACHI: The death toll in the Gul Plaza blaze keeps on climbing, with fatalities reaching 14 after the rescuers managed to douse the inferno after around 33 hours of arduous efforts.

With parts of the building left collapsed and uproar over alleged shortcomings in the authorities' response, the cooling process is underway with rescuers making way into the building by cutting windows and demolishing walls with hammers.

Fire Officer Zafar Khan has said that," the condition of the building is bad, so we cannot stay [there] for long".

The rescue work, Khan added, is being carried out in places considered relatively safe to operate, where the rescuers exit immediately after inspecting it, for survivors.

However, the official said that the relief work is expected to speed up.

With Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Asad Raza confirming 14 deaths, rescuers have said that five of the bodies recovered from the site are beyond identification.

The fire, as per a report presented to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah by the South District deputy commissioner and Karachi commissioner, broke out between 9:45pm to 10:15pm on Saturday with visuals showing flames rising from the building as firefighters laboured through the night to stop the blaze.

The rescue services had received a call at 10:38pm reporting that ground-floor shops at the multi-storey Gul Plaza shopping centre were ablaze — reportedly after a fire broke out at a flower shop as per unverified reports.

Hundreds of people had gathered around the building, including distraught store owners whose businesses had turned to ash.

Rescuers take part in relief operations to douse the blaze at Gul Plaza shopping complex in Karachi on January 18, 2026.

Flames seen at a collapsed part of Gul Plaza shopping complex on January 18, 2026.

Fire tenders douse flames at Gul Plaza shopping complex in Karachi on January 18, 2026.

A fire tender douses flames at Gul Plaza shopping complex in Karachi on January 18, 2026.

"We've been left high and dry, reduced to zero; 20 years of hard work, all gone," shopowner Yasmeen Bano said.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassanul Haseeb Khan told Reuters, "when we arrived, the fire from the ground floor had spread to the upper floors, and almost the entire building was already engulfed in flames".

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab arrived at the incident site late Sunday night, nearly 23 hours after the fire broke out, triggering protests from those present at the scene.

Speaking to the media, he said that nearly 65 people were missing, of whom, whereas as per the police, the families of 59 individuals have contacted the authorities for their loved ones.

Furthermore, the police have said that they have acquired the cellphone numbers of missing people, of which 26 have been traced back to the incident site while further scrutiny is underway to locate others.

Expanding on the firefighting efforts, the chief fire officer has said that foam was used to extinguish the fire from day one (Saturday).

Noting that 90% of the blaze has been put out, he said that the goods stored inside the shopping centre however, are still burning.