Islamabad, March 15 (IANS) Pakistan's judicial commission investigating the devastating January 17 fire at Gul Plaza mall in Karachi was told that rescue services arrived late and failed to evacuate people trapped inside during the crucial early hours of the blaze, local media reported.

The claim was made by Gul Plaza Mall Management Committee President Tanveer Pasta while submitting his response to a questionnaire from the single-judge commission, headed by Justice Agha Faisal of the Sindh High Court, claiming that the building's exits were open and functional during the incident.

The massive fire that erupted at Gul Plaza on the night of January 17 killed 80 people and injured many others.

The incident triggered public outrage, with people slamming the Sindh government and the Karachi mayor for the delayed action.

Rejecting the fire department's version that the first fire tender reached the scene at 10:37 p.m. on January 17, Pasta stated that the first vehicle arrived at 10:55 p.m.; however, it ran out of water within 20 minutes, with two more fire tenders arriving around 11:30 p.m., Pakistani daily Dawn reported.

He stated that at the time of the incident, the complex had 1,153 shops with 3,456 shopkeepers and employees, along with 250 to 300 customers inside the building.

However, he maintained that most people were successfully evacuated through the management committee's "hectic efforts" using the available exits, though those on the mezzanine floor could not be rescued.

He said that 72 people died on the upper floors, of which 51 were associated with Gul Plaza.

He denied the claims of fire and rescue services, as well as eyewitness accounts that several exit points were closed, claiming that the building had a total of 16 exits, including 13 on the ground floor and three in the basement -- all of which were open and functional when the incident occurred.

"It may clarify that during inspection after the fire, only one shutter of the second floor was found in a closed position. However, no lock was found near the shutter," Dawn quoted Pasta as saying.

Responding to a query regarding calls and messages made by the trapped persons, the statement said that several were rescued by the management based on their calls and shared locations, though many could not be evacuated due to inadequate rescue facilities with emergency services, Rescue-1122 and the fire brigade.

Describing the rescue efforts as very slow, Pasta said, "The rescue services had actually become active after Fajr prayers, but by that time it was already too late, as the fire had become uncontrollable."

"The responders had no tools/masks/equipment to enter inside the building and to rescue the survivors from the mezzanine floor. Even no foam to combat the fire was available. In fact, no attempt was made by the responders to rescue the survivors in the first few hours of the fire," he alleged.

Pasta accused the rescue services of "total failure and unprofessionalism", adding that seven generators were installed on the rooftop for backup emergency lights, five of which were in working condition.

--IANS

scor/sd/