An investigation team visited Karachi’s Gul Plaza on Saturday and recorded statements from the building’s watchmen and eyewitnesses, sources said.

According to officials, statements were taken from two security guards as well as several eyewitnesses, including children.

The team was briefed by the Deputy Commissioner District South and SSP City Arif Aziz during the visit.

Investigators also inspected the damaged section of the building.

Authorities said those responsible would be identified once investigations are completed.

Speaking to the media, senior officer Dr Abid Jalaluddin said the work to remove debris was ongoing.

He added that 80 to 90 per cent of the building had been searched.

Dr Jalaluddin said some cash and other belongings had been recovered during operations, and that the recovered items had been handed over to the affected traders.

Case registered by the police

A formal case has been registered at Nabi Bakhsh Police Station in connection with the devastating fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza.

The case was filed on behalf of the government under the orders of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, police said.

The FIR cites “gross negligence and carelessness” as key factors behind the incident.

It has been registered against unknown persons, and authorities said the names of those responsible will be included once the investigation is complete.

According to the FIR, the building lacked basic safety arrangements.

During the fire, the lights were reportedly turned off, creating obstacles for people trying to evacuate.

Several doors were also locked, which hampered rescue operations, the report stated.

Police added that the FIR has been sealed following its registration.

List of missing persons updated

Meanwhile, authorities have displayed an updated list of missing people, increasing the total number of those unaccounted for to 82.

According to officials, the search operation at Gul Plaza is ongoing, while the latest list of missing individuals has been publicly posted to assist identification efforts.

The list includes the names of 82 missing persons, whose ages range from 11 to 70 years.

Officials said the updated record also contains details such as names, residential addresses and shop numbers.

Photographs of the missing people, along with copies of their national identity cards, have also been included to facilitate the identification process.

Fire brigade working without a chief

Meanwhile, the delayed control of the deadly Gul Plaza fire has exposed a major lapse in the Karachi Fire Brigade: the absence of a permanent fire chief for nearly a year.

According to sources, the last Chief Fire Officer, Ishtiaq Ahmed, retired in 2024.

Following his retirement, Humayun Khan was brought in from another department the same year and appointed as acting in charge.

No chief fire officer has so far been appointed despite a court order in August 2025.

Lack of required qualifications

Officials said that Humayun Khan is not among the senior fire officers.

He is the leader of the Urban Search and Rescue team and was directly promoted from Grade 12 to Grade 17.

It has also been revealed that Humayun Khan, who holds a bachelor’s degree, does not meet the educational requirement of an MSc degree prescribed for the post of Chief Fire Officer.

Sniffer dogs not used

Meanwhile, it has emerged that detection or sniffer dogs, used to locate people trapped under debris, are missing from the Urban Search and Rescue unit.

These dogs were not used during the search operation at Gul Plaza, despite the city government having purchased them from the Pakistan Army in 2008 at a cost of over Rs700,000.

Meanwhile, the search operation at Gul Plaza continued for the eighth consecutive day.

71 deaths confirmed

So far, 71 deaths have been confirmed, while 77 people remain missing. The process of identification through DNA testing is ongoing.

Senior fire officer Zafar Khan said that instead of bodies, only body parts are now being recovered from the debris, further complicating the identification process.

He added that it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine which remains belong to which victim.

Nasira, the sister of missing victim Mohsin Shikari, told the media that she had personally gone inside the building to assess the situation and no longer blamed the authorities.

Families hopes fade

She said the family initially hoped to find some trace of her brother, but that now appeared unlikely, and appealed to the public to pray for the victims.

The KMC Urban Search and Rescue team has also recovered three digital video recorders (DVRs) from a room near the mosque inside Gul Plaza.

The DVRs and their chargers have been handed over to the South district administration. Officials said the devices are expected to help determine the cause of the fire.