Sabahat Sarwar
The massive fire that broke out at Gul Plaza on the night of January 17 was brought under control after 34 hours while rescue and cooling operations are still ongoing. According to authorities, the death toll has risen to 23, At least 22 people were injured in the incident and are currently receiving treatment at various hospitals under medical supervision.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaan ul Haseeb confirmed that the blaze has been extinguished; however, he said it is not yet possible to provide a clear time frame for the completion of rescue and cooling operations. “The operation will continue until all missing persons are accounted for,” He further stated that a portion of the rear side of the building has collapsed, making search operations inside the structure extremely difficult. Despite these risks, rescue teams are conducting internal search operations to locate those still missing. Hassaan ul Haseeb also revealed that advanced urban search and rescue operations have been launched to locate missing individuals. So far, 20 to 22 people have been retrieved, while efforts to trace the remaining missing persons continue.
Meanwhile, the district administration has established an information desk at the site to assist families searching for their missing relatives and to provide timely updates regarding the rescue operation. According to the DIGP South zone, 23 bodies have been recovered from Gul Plaza, with 6 identified so far. The identities of the remaining bodies will be confirmed after DNA testing. To date, over 70 people have been reported missing, and the last location of 32 individuals has been traced back to Gul Plaza. Rescue teams, with full police support, are continuing their operations.
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