Search continues after Pakistan building collapse kills 14

At least 14 people died and several others were injured after a five-storey building collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari area on Friday, officials said.

Rescuers were using heavy machinery to search for several survivors believed to be trapped under the debris, said Javed Nabi, a government administrator.

Residents said the building was located on a narrow street, making it difficult for rescue teams to bring in additional heavy equipment. Television footage showed rescuers removing the rubble and evacuating nearby buildings as a precaution.

Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said around 20 families were living inside.

“I got a call from my wife saying the building was cracking and I told her to get out immediately,” he told AFP at the scene.

“She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her ‘this building will stand for at least 10 more years’. Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.”

Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP.

Saad Edhi, of the Edhi welfare foundation that is part of the rescue operation, told AFP there could be “at least eight to 10 more people still trapped,” describing it as a “worn-out building.”

Nearby residents rushed to save their neighbours before rescuers took over to remove the rubble, along with at least five excavators.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said five bodies have been brought to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK).

Four men, two women and a teenage girl were injured, according to a list of patients issued by CHK’s Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma (SMBBIT).

However, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, citing “reliable reports,” said seven people had lost their lives while eight others were rescued.

The incident comes days after a portion of a building collapsed in Karachi’s Kharadar area. However, no casualties or injuries were reported.

Rescue efforts were underway at the building situated on Fida Hussain Shaikha Road in Lyari’s Baghdadi neighbourhood, according to a statement from the Baghdadi police.

Pakistan Rangers, in a statement, said its personnel were also assisting in the rescue operations and “engaged in rescuing individuals trapped under the rubble.”

Speaking to reporters at the site of the incident, Wahab said: “According to the reliable reports so far, seven people have [lost their lives], whose bodies have been taken to the hospital, and we have succeeded in saving eight people.”

The mayor said the government needed to “take action,” noting that there were around 434 buildings in the Old City area that had been declared “dangerous” by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA).

“We have two options: to convince people to move out or force them to evacuate,” Wahab said, adding that any government tries not to take any forced action but to convince people. “This loss of lives today shows that when the state or the government tells you anything, you should follow it.”

The mayor requested the inhabitants of such dilapidated buildings to evacuate as soon as possible to prevent any unpleasant incident and loss of life or property.

All six family members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari were at his flat on the first floor when he left for work early in the morning. “Nothing is left for me now — my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery,” he told AFP.

Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, said her brother’s family was also trapped under the rubble. “It’s a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family,” she told AFP. “We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.”

The casualties included Fatima Babu and Hoor Bai — both aged 55 years — 21-year-old Prantic Arsi, 32-year-old Prem and 35-year-old Waseem Babu.

The injured were listed as 17-year-old Kishna Jumna Das, 25-year-old Rashid Aziz, 29-year-old Mujeeb Ali, 30-year-old Santia Chaitan and Chanda Jumma Lal, 45-year-old Ghulam Hussain, and 50-year-old Yousaf Subhan.

Tariq Butt / Agencies