KARACHI: The death toll from a mall fire in Pakistan's biggest city rose to at least 55 people on Thursday (Jan 22), with rescuers in Karachi still searching for more missing in the devastating inferno.
Investigators are yet to announce what caused the fire, five days after the blaze gutted the three-storey Gul Plaza.
"A total of 55 bodies have been recovered since Saturday night," said Javed Nabi Khoso, deputy commissioner of Karachi's southern district.
Families have criticised the slow pace of the recovery operation, with more than 50 giving DNA samples in the hope of finding their missing relatives.
"We will hand over the bodies to the family, once DNA samples are matched," health official Summaiya Syed told journalists on Wednesday.
Faraz Ali, whose father and 26-year-old brother were inside the mall, told AFP he wants "the bodies to be recovered and handed over to their rightful families".
"That is all so that the families may receive something, some comfort, some peace. At least let us see them one last time, in whatever condition they are, so that we may say our final goodbye," the 28-year-old said on Wednesday.
The provincial government has announced that it will give 10 million rupees ($35,720) to each family of the deceased. All 1,200 shopkeepers will also be compensated.
"The Gul Plaza incident is a tragic and heartbreaking tragedy," provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said on Thursday.
Fires are common in Karachi's markets and factories, which are known for their poor infrastructure, but a blaze on such a scale is rare.
"Approximately 90 percent of buildings across Pakistan lack a fire safety system," Memon told a news conference.
The provincial government was taking measures to ensure fire safety procedures were followed at malls and markets, he said without giving further details. - AFP
