Gul Plaza fire: Missing Arif informed family he was taking shelter in plaza mosque before disappearing

KARACHI: A 24-year-old man named Arif, an employee at a shop in Gul Plaza, remains missing after a devastating fire erupted in the building, his family told ARY News.

Speaking to ARY News, Arif’s family stated that he works at a shop within the plaza and that they last spoke to him at 1:00 AM during the night between Saturday and Sunday.

In his final communication, Arif informed his family that he was heading toward the mosque located inside Gul Plaza and mentioned that approximately 100 other people were also still inside the building with him.

The family further shared that Arif is a resident of the Metroville area in Karachi.

Two children, Khizar Ali and Hyder Ali, originally from Hyderabad, have been reported missing after a massive fire engulfed Gul Plaza, their family told ARY News.

According to the family, they last had contact with the children at 1:00 AM during the night between Saturday and Sunday. Since then, there has been no update regarding their condition or whereabouts within the building.

During that final phone call, the children informed their family that they had climbed to the roof of the building to escape the flames, reporting that fire had surrounded them from below.

Khizar and Hyder pleaded with their family to send help and rescue them from the building.