- Authorities list 82 people as officially missing.
- ‘Four DVRs recovered’ from debris during search.
- Gold, cash recovered, returned to owners: officials.
The death toll in the Gul Plaza inferno tragedy has risen to 71 as officials said on Saturday that at least 80% of rescue and search operations have been completed, nearly a week after the fire broke out.
Authorities also said work to move the rubble of the demolished parts is underway, adding that at least 20 bodies have been identified so far.
As many as 13 bodies were identified using DNA, they added, saying the list of missing persons includes 82 names.
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Tariq said 71 corpses 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.
Officials said efforts are underway to determine the identities of the remaining victims.
They added that four digital video recorders (DVRs) were recovered from the rubble during the search operation, which could provide important evidence to establish the causes of the inferno.
They added that valuables were recovered during the removal of debris, including 1.5 kg of gold and more than Rs100,000 in cash from a basement shop, which were returned to their respective owners.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while addressing the provincial assembly, said that a total of 88 people were initially reported missing; however, it was later recovered 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. As I speak, 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 should be identified and punished without delay,” he added.
His remarks came amid ongoing rescue efforts as teams continue to search for more missing people from the devastating inferno that erupted last Saturday night.
Investigative sources said the fire broke out in a shop selling artificial flowers where the 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 said the administration cannot be absolved of the responsibility for the Gul Plaza tragedy.
He also questioned the handling of the incident and its aftermath, saying that those responsible were not present at the scene when they were needed.
Governor Tessori said water tankers remained stuck in traffic near the Guru Mandir, as highlighted by journalist Arshad Vohra.
“The administration is responsible. People pay taxes and are then expected to tolerate mismanagement. Such incidents will continue to happen until all those responsible are punished,” the governor said.
