Death toll in Karachi mall fire rises to around 50

The death toll from a massive fire at a shopping mall in Karachi has risen to around 50 after firefighters recovered up to 25 additional bodies from the debris, officials said on Wednesday.

The blaze, the deadliest in the port city in more than a decade, broke out late on Saturday and rapidly spread through the Gul Plaza shopping complex, which housed about 1,200 family-run shops selling wedding attire, toys, crockery and other goods.

“We have recovered 20 to 25 bodies, or remains,” Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso told reporters, adding that the remains had been transferred to a hospital for DNA identification. He said confirming an exact death toll remained difficult due to the condition of the bodies. The official toll had stood at 29 on Tuesday.

Firefighters battled the inferno for several days before bringing it under control on Tuesday. By then, Gul Plaza had been reduced to rubble and ash.

According to a state-run rescue service, 84 people were reported missing following the fire. Police said most of those unaccounted for are feared dead, raising concerns that the death toll could climb further.

Outside the destroyed complex, mourners gathered to light candles in memory of the victims, some holding photographs of those believed to have perished.

Shopkeeper Rehmat Khan described the scene as catastrophic, saying that 18 to 20 people, including six employees, were inside his shop when the fire erupted. All remain missing, he said.

The fire is Karachi’s deadliest since a 2012 industrial blaze that killed more than 260 people.