Karachi:
At least 16 people, including three women and a child, are confirmed dead after a five -story residential building collapsed in the Lyari neighborhood at dawn on Friday, authorities say.
Emergency responders have rescued nine survivors injured so far, but officials fear that at least 25 to 30 people can be buried under the rubble.
The building, located in the Baghdadi area of Lyari, housed six families and collapsed on Friday. Rescue workers arrived quickly, using heavy machinery to sift through the debris.
The authorities say that the building was declared insecure three years ago, but neither the residents evacuated the authorities took any compliance action. According to the reports, each floor of the building contained three apartments.
Two adjacent buildings, a two -story structure and a seven -story structure, have been evacuated as caution. The energy and gas lines for the collapsed building have been cut to avoid more dangers.
Karachi commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi said the rescue operation can take up to 24 hours. He urged residents of unsafe buildings to voluntarily relocate.
“We cannot force people to leave their homes,” he said, adding that a meeting has been convened with the Control Authority of the Sindh building to address illegal constructions.
The attached commissioner of Karachi South, Javed Khoso, confirmed that the building residents received notices in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Of 107 dangerous buildings in the district, 21 are classified as highly dangerous, and 14 have already been emptied, he said, and added: “It would be premature to assign the fault at this stage.”
