A massive fire ripped through the densely-packed Gul Plaza shopping centre in Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital, on Saturday evening, trapping and killing dozens of people. The confirmed death toll currently stands at 27, but more than 70 people are still unaccounted for as the unstable structure of the still-smouldering building makes rescue efforts extremely difficult.
Witnesses have described a chaotic scene, with the fire spreading rapidly and many of the shopping centre’s exits being locked, exacerbating the disaster. Survivors recounted harrowing tales of panic, confusion and desperate calls for help as thick smoke engulfed the building.
Muhammad Amin, whose brother Naveed Memon is still missing, is distraught. “What should I tell my mother when I go home? What should I tell my nieces?” he asked. “My nieces are crying for their father – they are asking me why he is late to come home. What should I tell them? How can I tell them that their father is gone?”
The Gul Plaza was a wholesale market housing an estimated 1,200 shops across a basement, mezzanine and three floors, offering a wide range of cheaply-priced products. It was a popular destination for Karachi residents, particularly ahead of festivals, weddings and other important occasions.
Rehan Faisal, who owned a bedsheet shop, said he was able to escape because his shop was located near one of the exits – he broke down the door to get out. However, he said that although his staff had heard there was a fire in one part of the market, they had initially not worried because it was located some distance away from them.
“No-one knew it would spread so much,” Faisal added, saying it only took about “five to seven minutes” for everything to “burn before our eyes”.
Shoiab, a 19-year-old who worked at a decoration shop, recounted his harrowing experience. He said he first heard about the fire on a lower floor around 10 pm local time on Saturday night. “Many customers and shopkeepers were coming up… and saying there was a fire downstairs. I was just beginning to comprehend the situation when the shop owner told me to lock up and get out,” he told BBC Urdu.
“Then suddenly everything was covered with smoke – we couldn’t see anything and there was panic and confusion everywhere. People were just running here and there. I knew some ways to get out of the plaza. But the first exit I tried was locked and the crowd were too dense for me to go the other way.”
With the facility due to close soon, most of the gates of the shopping centre were locked. Senior police official Syed Asad Raza told Reuters news agency that all but three of the centre’s 16 exits were locked.
Shoiab was among the luckier ones. He fainted amid the smoke, but someone – he doesn’t know who – pulled him out of the building to safety. However, another colleague who was trying to escape with him is still missing.
The remaining structure is at risk of collapse, making further rescue efforts difficult, an official told the BBC. Dr Abid Jalaluddin Sheikh, a senior rescue official, said rescue efforts were being slowed further because the structure of the building had been so severely damaged that it was at risk of completely collapsing at any time.
As the searches continue, anger is growing. Hundreds of protesters gathered around the building on Monday, calling for accountability. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, who arrived on the scene nearly 24 hours after the fire broke out, was met with jeers.
Many residents and politicians have echoed the sentiment that rescue officials took too long to get to the building. Faisal said that it took a long time for the fire brigade to arrive, “while the ambulances, which weren’t even needed at that moment – had already reached”.
Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister of the southern province of Sindh, which includes Karachi, has promised an investigation into the fire and response time. Lawmakers from across the political spectrum on Tuesday condemned the fire and called for sweeping reforms in building safety, emergency response and urban governance.
But for those gathered at the ruins of Gul Plaza, this is little consolation. “This is the third time in a while that a building has caught fire in the Saddar area of Karachi,” said Muhammad Arif, whose nephew is among the missing. “How long will this continue to happen and how many more people must die?”
