Gul Plaza traders make emotional appeal to save lives amid deadly fire

KARACHI: As the devastating fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza continues, fears are growing that the death toll may rise further, with trader representatives making emotional appeals to save the lives of shopkeepers trapped inside the building.

Traders and shop owners at Gul Plaza have been left financially ruined. Speaking to the media, several were unable to hold back their emotions as the scale of the destruction became evident.

President of the Gul Plaza Traders Association, Tanveer Qasim, broke down in tears during a media interaction, stating that an estimated 80 to 100 people could still be inside the building.

He said fire brigade teams were repeatedly running out of water and diesel, adding that desperate calls for help were being received from people trapped inside the market. “We appeal to the government to rescue those inside immediately,” he said.

“We are not concerned about our goods. Our only plea is to save the lives of the shopkeepers trapped inside. The traders have already been destroyed financially — please bring the people out alive,” he urged.

Tanveer Qasim said that water shortages severely hampered firefighting efforts, and that the traders witnessed everything being destroyed before their eyes. Questioning the authorities, he asked what the government was doing as one of the city’s major tax-paying markets was reduced to ruins. He claimed that traders themselves had rescued between 200 and 250 people.

The traders’ association president further said that despite the scale of the blaze, there was no sign of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah or Mayor of Karachi Murtaza Wahab, adding that the fire brigade lacked the necessary equipment to enter the market and carry out effective rescue operations.

He warned that traders would stage protests if losses were not addressed, stating that while financial losses could be compensated, the loss of human lives could never be recovered.

“We have suffered losses worth billions of rupees, and there is no one to save us,” he said.