Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has announced Rs10 million compensation each for the families of Gul Plaza fire victims and rehabilitation and of all the shopkeepers.
Chairing a special meeting regarding Gul Plaza fire incident in Karachi on Monday, CM Murad Ali Shah said that the Gul Plaza building will now be rebuilt.
The chief minister said he wanted to take steps for the rehabilitation of all 1,200 affectees because all of them became unemployed overnight.
The operation to remove the debris should be started immediately, he ordered.
Sindh Chief Minister formed a committee for the victims of Gul Plaza.
During the meeting Sindh CM was briefed by Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi on the fire tragedy.
Meeting was informed that 15 bodies have been retrieved from Gul Plaza so far and estimated number of deaths may be more than 50.
The fire has been extinguished and cooling process was under way.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab informed the meeting that 16 fire tenders and a buzzer worked to extinguish the fire.
Murtaza Wahab informed that 50 to 60 firefighters participated in the operation while Water Board continued to provide water tankers to extinguish the fire.
So far, Water Board provided 431,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire, Murtaza Wahab said.
Advisor to Sindh CM on Rehabilitation Gyanchand Asrani also briefed the meeting.
In the meeting, traders gave various suggestions to the Sindh Chief Minister regarding Gul Plaza and they agreed with CM Murad that shopkeepers should be restored immediately so that their employment can start.
CM announced that Gul Plaza building will now be rebuilt.
The committee will tell us how we can immediately give shops to the victims of Gul Plaza and let them start their business, Murad Ali Shah said.
He said Sindh government will conduct a forensic report on the fire to find out how the fire started.
CM instructed that fact-finding committee should notify the Chief Secretary.
I want to provide immediate compensation to the families of those martyred in the Gul Plaza incident, Murad Ali Shah said.
The Sindh Chief Minister has formed a committee for the Gul Plaza victims and the committee will make recommendations on the amount of compensation and rehabilitation of the victims.
Minister for Local Government Nasir Shah and Minister for Labour, Human Resources, Social Security Saad Ghani, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and Commissioner Karachi Hassan Naqvi are included in the committee.
CM Murad also directed the Karachi commissioner to launch an immediate inquiry and examine whether safety failures or regulatory lapses contributed to the scale of the disaster.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Police said a formal investigation would begin once firefighting operations were fully completed.
Speaking to reporters, Shah provided new details on the scale and timeline of the emergency response, saying municipal authorities acted within minutes of receiving the alert.
“The first fire tender reached the site at 10:27 pm and firefighting operations began immediately,” the chief minister said, adding that at least 26 fire tenders, four snorkel vehicles, and 10 water bowzers were deployed, with additional support provided by the Pakistan Navy and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Shah said preliminary information indicated that 58 to 60 people were initially reported missing after the blaze, though rescue and cooling operations were still underway and authorities were continuing to verify the figures.
He added that the fire occurred during the peak wedding shopping season, compounding losses for traders and shoppers in the area.
He said the intensity of the blaze and limited access points inside the building made it difficult for firefighters to enter quickly, contributing to the scale of damage.
