- Notice issued to the management of the place and to the store owners.
- KMC begins fire safety audits in buildings in Karachi.
- Abad urged to resolve fire safety issues within 3 days.
The Sindh Building Control Authority has declared Rimpa Plaza “unsafe” following the deadly Gul Plaza fire, citing structural damage caused by debris from the neighboring building as rescue operations continue in the area.
The rubble of Gul Plaza has affected the pillars of Rimpa Plaza,” the provincial building control authority said in its advisory, adding that notices have been issued to the plaza management and traders in Karachi.
The development comes as the death toll following the devastating Gul Plaza fire rose to 28 on Tuesday. Rescue teams remain engaged in searching the burning structure of the gutted mall as 81 people remain missing.
The port city’s biggest fire in more than a decade broke out on Saturday evening at Gul Plaza, which houses 1,200 stores in a multi-story complex spread over an area larger than a football field.
The fire in the historic center of Karachi raged for more than 24 hours before being extinguished.
“It was observed that due to an unfortunate fire incident that occurred at Gul Plaza, several parts of the said structure collapsed. During this incident, a portion of the collapsed structure fell on the ramp of the building in question resulting in damage to its structural columns,” the notice said.
He added that upon inspection, the affected part of the Rimpa Plaza structure was found to be unsafe and unsafe, posing a serious threat to human life and property.
The SBCA ordered plaza management to immediately stop using the damaged and unsafe portion of the structure.
He ordered that all unsafe structural elements of Rimpa Plaza be removed and necessary repair and strengthening works be carried out strictly under the supervision of a qualified structural engineer, in accordance with existing construction laws and regulations.
The authority stressed that no part of the affected building can be used or occupied until it is officially declared safe.
The SBCA warned that failure to follow 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 Gul Plaza on Tuesday evening to inspect the ongoing search and rescue activities to trace the dozens of missing people.
Speaking to reporters, Wahab said two-thirds of the building had been emptied and no additional bodies had been found so far.
He added that rescue teams are carefully drilling and removing debris in areas where parts of the Gul Plaza structure collapsed, leaving open the possibility of finding more bodies.
He also confirmed that authorities had received reports of 81 people missing.
The mayor said the exact number of identified bodies and confirmed deaths would be announced Wednesday morning while the process of identifying the bodies is underway.
Earlier, Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said PK Press Club 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-referencing.
Relief sources said three bodies present at the Edhi mortuary were identified, bringing the number of identified bodies to 11.
The latest to be identified are Muhammad Shehroz, Muhammad Rizwan and Maryam.
Wahab also mentioned the start of fire safety audits of buildings in the megacity by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
He said the authorities have initiated correspondence with the Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (Abad) regarding owners and builders who have not met the requirements of 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 fire safety deficiencies identified in the audit reports within three days.
