KARACHI: Nine days after the devastating fire at Gul Plaza, the tragedy continues to unfold with haunting uncertainty, as the fate of dozens of victims remains unresolved despite ongoing forensic efforts.
The death toll from the deadly blaze has risen to 74 after a recent DNA match confirmed the identity of another victim.
However, the search for 46 missing individuals has turned into a complex puzzle, leaving families in anguish and authorities relying heavily on forensic science to bridge the gaps. The investigators have so far collected 69 DNA reference samples from relatives of missing persons.
Of these, only 23 victims have been positively identified through DNA testing. The remaining 46 sets of human remains recovered from the debris are either severely damaged or lack matching reference samples, making identification impossible at this stage.
Sources say that law enforcement agencies, including the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and Karachi Police, are now using alternative methods to trace the missing.
These include analyzing victims’ last known locations, mobile phone records, and call data. Detailed information regarding all 46 missing individuals has been shared with senior police officials to intensify the search.
So far, Police Surgeon Karachi Dr. Samia Syed confirmed that one DNA profile received from the Sindh Forensic DNA Laboratory does not match any reference sample submitted so far.
She noted that the absence of a matching sample raises serious concerns that some victims may have died without any relatives coming forward—or that they may belong to areas outside Karachi.
“This possibility cannot be ruled out,” Dr. Syed said, urging families who are still searching for missing loved ones to submit DNA samples. She added that samples can be collected at the Police Surgeon’s Office during designated hours.
Meanwhile, medical examination of body parts recovered from the rubble is still underway. Officials clarified that DNA extracted from human remains cannot determine age or gender without reference samples, further complicating the identification process.
