The fire, which broke out late Saturday night, has destroyed most parts of the building. PHOTO: REUTERS
Police have registered a criminal case over the deadly fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza, citing negligence and lack of safety measures, as the death toll from the blaze rose to at least 71, officials said on Saturday.
According to the police, an FIR has been registered under Sections 322, 337-H(I), 436 and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The case has been filed with the government as the complainant and names unknown persons, as the investigation report is not yet complete.
The FIR states that gross negligence and carelessness was shown at Gul Plaza where no safety measures were in place. It says lights were switched off during the fire, creating difficulties for people inside the building, while several gates were found closed, worsening the situation. So far, no one has been held responsible in the case.
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After the registration of the FIR, the authorities sealed the building. Meanwhile, a technical investigation team formed by the Sindh government, comprising experts from NED University, inspected Gul Plaza. The team examined the building’s structure, particularly its columns, to assess its safety.
The team will submit a report to the Sindh government and the district administration detailing how long the building can stand, whether it requires immediate demolition or whether only certain parts are unsafe.
“The NED University team is inspecting the building,” said Deputy Commissioner South Javed Khoso. “Following a full assessment of the building, a decision will be made regarding its demolition.”
Earlier on Friday, authorities said the death toll had risen to 71 after rescue teams found additional human remains during the ongoing search and debris removal.
According to Amir Hassan, who is in charge of the identification desk at the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), four bags of human remains were brought to the hospital overnight. “These remains may belong to four people,” he said, adding that the death toll had potentially reached 71.
The fire, which broke out on Saturday night last week, gutted the trading post and left the structure severely damaged. Human remains recovered from the rubble were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal procedures.
Read more: Sindh CM announces provision of temporary shops to Gul Plaza traders within 2 months
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Friday that the damaged plaza would be demolished and reconstructed within two years, while affected traders would be given temporary shops within two months.
“The plaza has to be demolished, but we will rebuild Gul Plaza within two years, reconstruct the shops and hand them back to the traders,” Shah said, stressing that the number of shops would not be increased and the reconstruction would follow the plans approved by the Karachi Building Control Authority.
Addressing the Sindh Assembly, the chief minister said the government had identified two commercial buildings with a total of 850 shops whose owners had agreed to waive rent for a year. There were efforts to extend the rent-free period to two years to help traders resume their businesses.
