India, Jan. 23 -- Pakistani authorities have collected DNA samples from 50 individuals to help confirm the identities of the 61 bodies recovered so far from the rubble of the perished shopping plaza in Karachi, even as the search operation continued on Thursday to find more bodies. The fire broke out in the basement of the Gul Shopping Plaza, a wholesale and retail market, and quickly spread to the rest of the building in the Saddar area on Saturday night.

The fire was brought under control only after 36 hours had passed. The death toll in the fire increased to 61 on Wednesday after 30 bodies were recovered from a single shop on the mezzanine floor of the building. Sindh police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said the DNA samples have been coll...