KARACHI, JAN 21: The Sindh Building Control Authority has declared Rimpa Plaza “unsafe” following the deadly Gul Plaza fire, citing structural damage caused by debris from the adjoining building as rescue operations continue in the area.
The rubble from Gul Plaza has affected the pillars of Rimpa Plaza,” the provincial building control authority said in its notice, adding that notices have been issued to the plaza’s management and shop owners in Karachi.
The development comes as the death toll from the devastating Gul Plaza fire rose to 28 on Tuesday. Rescue teams remain engaged in searching the smouldering structure of the gutted shopping centre as 81 people are still missing.
The port city’s biggest fire in over a decade started late on Saturday at Gul Plaza, which houses 1,200 shops in a multi-storey complex spread across an area larger than a football field.
The blaze in Karachi’s historic centre raged for more than 24 hours before it was extinguished.
“It has been observed that, due to an unfortunate fire incident at Gul Plaza, several portions of the said structure have collapsed. During the course of this incident, a part of the collapsed structure fell onto the ramp area of the subject building, resulting in damage to its structural columns,” the notice read.
It added that upon inspection, the affected portion of Rimpa Plaza’s structure has been found to be unsafe and dangerous, posing a serious threat to human life and property.
The SBCA directed the plaza’s management to immediately stop the use of the damaged and dangerous portion of the structure.
It directed that all unsafe structural elements of Rimpa Plaza be removed, with necessary repair and strengthening works carried out strictly under the supervision of a qualified structural engineer, in compliance with applicable building laws and regulations.
The authority emphasised that no part of the affected building may be used or occupied until it is officially declared safe.
The SBCA warned that failure to comply with these instructions would result in legal action under the Sindh Building Control Ordinance, 1979, without further notice.
Karachi mayor visits Gul Plaza
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab visited the Gul Plaza late Tuesday night to inspect the ongoing search and rescue activities to find the dozens of missing persons.
Speaking to reporters, Wahab said that two-thirds of the building has been cleared and no additional bodies have been recovered so far.
He added that rescue teams are carefully drilling and removing debris in areas where parts of the Gul Plaza’s structure have collapsed, leaving open the possibility of finding more bodies.
He also confirmed that authorities have received reports of 81 missing persons.
The mayor said the exact number of identified bodies and confirmed fatalities would be announced on Wednesday morning as the process of identifying the bodies is ongoing.
Earlier, Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Geo News that 28 bodies have been brought to the Civil Hospital so far, and samples of 50 families have been received for DNA profiling and cross-matching.
Rescue sources said that three bodies present at the Edhi morgue have been identified, raising the number of identified bodies to 11.
Latest to be identified are Muhammad Shehroz, Muhammad Rizwan and Maryam.
Wahab also mentioned the commencement of fire safety audits of the buildings in the mega city by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
He said that authorities have started correspondence with the Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (Abad) regarding the owners and builders who have failed to meet the requirements of the Fire Safety Regulations.
A copy of the letter sent to the builders’ association was also shared on Wahab’s Facebook account, urging Abad members to address the fire safety deficiencies identified in the audit reports within three days.
