The death toll from the Gul Plaza fire rose to 67 after additional human remains were recovered as the search operation entered its sixth day, officials said on Thursday.

Police said two more sets of human remains were found inside a shop during the latest search.

Taj, the son of shop owner Abu Bakar, claimed the remains belonged to his father and an employee, Amir.

Medical officials said DNA testing would be carried out to confirm the identities.

DNA sampling and identification ongoing

Police Surgeon Dr Samia Syed said the total number of bodies and human remains shifted to hospitals has reached 67.

She confirmed that DNA samples have been collected from all bodies and remains.

Officials said two more victims have been identified. One body was identified as Abu Bakar after his son recognised a ring and wristwatch recovered from the remains.

The second victim was identified as Amir, an employee at the shop, according to the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).

Dr Samia Syed said DNA samples were taken from five additional human remains on Thursday, bringing the total number of identified victims to 17.

She added that samples from all 67 bodies and remains have now been secured, with 17 samples taken during the day.

Earlier, post-mortems of 62 bodies recovered from the rubble of Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road were completed.

Police said legal formalities were carried out following the examinations.

Fire cause under investigation

Meanwhile, investigators prepared an initial inquiry report, stating that the fire was not caused by an electrical short circuit.

According to the report, the blaze likely started when a matchstick or lighter ignited chemicals inside an artificial flower shop.

The report said two sons of the shop owner were allegedly throwing lit matchsticks at each other.

One match fell onto chemicals on the floor, triggering the fire.

Although a person from a neighbouring shop initially tried to control the flames, the fire reignited, spread to an air-conditioning line and quickly engulfed the entire building.

Investigators said most doors of Gul Plaza were closed at the time of the incident, leaving only two entry and exit points.

Trapped occupants reportedly tried to break down doors to escape as the fire spread.

The Bomb Disposal Squad collected samples from two locations.

Three samples were taken from the artificial flowers shop and three from other parts of the plaza.

Authorities have also decided to conduct chemical analysis of the bodies to examine injuries on different body parts.

Gul Plaza structurally declared unsafe

Separately, the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and the Pakistan Engineering Council have declared Gul Plaza structurally unsafe.

After a joint inspection on Thursday, a technical committee recommended demolishing the building once rescue operations are completed.

The SBCA said Gul Plaza covers 8,124 square yards and comprises 1,102 shops.

The entire structure was gutted in the fire that broke out late Saturday night. Adjacent buildings were also inspected, the authority said.

Municipal Commissioner removed

In an administrative move, Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah removed Karachi Municipal Commissioner Afzal Zaidi over alleged negligence.

Grade-19 officer Samira Hussain has been given an additional charge.

Earlier, South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khoso said bodies, except for some remains, could be sent for DNA profiling to confirm fatalities.

He urged the public to ignore rumours circulating on social media and rely only on verified information.

He said a comprehensive investigation is underway, adding that the incident cannot be attributed solely to an electrical short circuit at this stage.

Search operations have been completed in the intact portions of the building, while rescue and search efforts continue in the collapsed sections.

Authorities are also probing why doors were closed and whether that contributed to the tragedy.