Dozens of body parts are found after Pakistan's shopping plaza fire

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KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — The toll from a deadly fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan's largest city could rise sharply after Wednesday's discovery of body parts thought to belong to over a dozen people, officials said.

Searchers for the first time reached a shop in Gul Plaza in Karachi where many people had sought refuge during Saturday's fire.

Before the discovery, 29 people had been confirmed dead, according to police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed. She confirmed that the city’s main hospital received more than two dozen body parts during the fifth day of searches.

Javed Nabi Khoso, a government administrator, said initial estimates suggest the remains recovered from the shop may belong to 15 to 25 people.

“This is the first time such a large number of remains have been found in one location since the fire,” he said.

Abid Jamal Sheikh, a senior rescue official, also said the body parts could belong to more than a dozen people, but stressed that official confirmation was pending.

The reason for the blaze is still under investigation. Police have said a short circuit may have triggered the fire.

Meanwhile, dozens of mourners on Wednesday attended the first funeral, that of Shahroz Iqbal, a shop owner who died in the fire.

Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak enforcement and illegal construction. In November 2023, a mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012 when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.