By Micah Jonah
January 22, 2026
The death toll from a devastating fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza Shopping Centre has risen to 61, Pakistani officials confirmed, after at least 30 bodies were recovered from a single mezzanine-floor shop.
Deputy Commissioner, Javed Nabi Khoso said the victims had locked themselves inside the shop, “Dubai Crockery,” in an attempt to protect themselves after a stampede broke out during the early moments of the blaze. DNA tests are underway to confirm the identities of the deceased.
Search and recovery operations continue, with more than 80 people still reported missing. Sindh Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah ordered that debris removal be halted until all bodies are retrieved. Over 50 families have submitted DNA samples to aid identification.
Relatives have criticized the slow pace of the recovery efforts. Faraz Ali, whose father and brother were in the mall, said, “We just want the bodies to be recovered, handed over to their rightful families, so we may say our final goodbyes.”
Karachi Commissioner, Syed Hassan Naqvi, who leads the government inquiry into the incident, said the mall’s fire safety measures did not meet international standards. No official cause for the fire has yet been determined.
The city has a history of deadly fires linked to poor safety standards, though incidents of this scale remain rare. Previous tragedies include a garments factory fire in 2012 that killed 260 people and a 2023 shopping centre fire that killed 10.
