KARACHI: A search operation at the fire-wrecked premises of Gul Plaza at M.A. Jinnah Road has been underway on the 8th day of the massive blaze on Saturday that have claimed several lives, many of them still untraced.
A technical and investigation team accompanied with the deputy commissioner south visited Gul Plaza premises and inspected ground floor of the devastated building.
Officials said that 90 per cent search operation has been completed so far. The search teams also included the urban search and Rescue 1122 teams.
So far, 71 bodies have been recovered and 15 of them have been identified so far. Still several persons missing in the market fire incident have been untraced.
The massive fire at Gul Plaza on January 17, left the city in shock, claiming lives and leaving many unaccounted for. While the blaze was extinguished, the building remains structurally unstable. Search teams, supported by the Army, Rangers, and civil authorities, continue searching for missing persons, while engineers assess the damaged structure.
DVRs recovered from debris
Investigators probing the Gul Plaza fire incident have recovered three digital video recorders (DVRs) from the rubble, raising hopes of uncovering crucial evidence related to the incident.
According to officials, the DVRs along with their chargers were found by the Urban Search and Rescue team in a room near a mosque adjacent to Gul Plaza. The recovered devices have been handed over by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation to the Deputy Commissioner of District South for further examination.
Authorities believe the DVRs could provide key clues to determine the causes and sequence of events that led to the Gul Plaza incident. Technical analysis of the footage is expected to play an important role in the ongoing investigation.