At least 10 dead, 9 injured as five-storey building collapses in Karachi’s Lyari

 At least 10 people died and nine were injured after a five-storey building collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari area on Friday, according to the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute Of Trauma (SMBBIT).

 Dawn.com was shown data from the Civil Hospital Karachi institute that stated that nine bodies were brought to the hospital, and one person died while being treated. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed also confirmed the same number of deaths.

 SMBBIT Executive Director Dr Sabir Memon told Dawn.com that among the injured people, six were discharged after being provided treatment.

Today’s incident comes days after a portion of a building collapsed in the city’s Kharadar area.  However, no casualties or injuries were reported.  The Public Account Committee of the Sindh Assembly had directed the provincial government in December to take urgent steps to evacuate over 570 buildings declared “dangerous” by authorities across Karachi.

 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”.

 The heavy rescue machinery struggled to access the narrow alleys, and police baton-charged residents to clear the way, AFP reported.

 Speaking to reporters at the site of the incident, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab 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).  The authority stated that there are 588 of these buildings in Karachi. “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 ordered the people who lived in these run-down buildings to leave as soon as possible to prevent any unpleasant events or damage to property or lives.

According to the Edhi Foundation's Saad Edhi, the building is a "worn-out building." Arif Aziz, a police official, told AFP that the building had been home to up to 100 people. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan told Dawn.com that the incident reportedly occurred between 9-9:30am but due to disruption of the communication network, the department received the information late.

 He said that as per the residents and relatives, there were still 20-25 people stuck in the rubble and the rescue operation was still under way.  He stated that some families had already begun to realize the gravity of the situation and began to leave, with some of them leaving the building because its structure had begun to deteriorate following the recent rains. SBCA says issued multiple prior notices to vacate building

 In the meantime, the SBCA claimed that in October 2022, following a thorough inspection, it had designated the plot as dangerous through its Technical Committee for Dangerous Buildings. It stated that on July 22, 2022, the authority received a complaint from the Sindh Human Rights Commission. On June 2, 2023, the authority promptly issued the first ejectment notice, directing the residents and occupants to vacate the premises. It said a second notice was issued on February 28, 2024, followed by a third with a three-day final warning and lastly a fourth notice addressed to the managing director of K-Electric, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) on June 25, 2024, instructing them to disconnect utility services.

 The SBCA added that an urgent reminder for ejectment was issued on June 2 with copies sent to the South deputy and assistant commissioners and the Kalari station house officer, requesting their intervention to evacuate the premises and prevent any potential incident.

 “The SBCA director also reported on June 29, 2025, that megaphones were used to immediately warn residents to leave the building. “Regrettably, the residents were reluctant to vacate the building unless alternate accommodation was provided.  Additionally, neither the district administration nor the utility companies (K-Electric, SSGC, and KWSB) responded to our ejectment notices in a timely manner or disconnected services. “It is important to note that the monsoon season is ongoing, increasing the risk associated with dangerous structures.  SBCA records indicate that 588 buildings in Karachi have been declared dangerous, with 107 such buildings in Lyari alone. The SBCA has repeatedly advertised these threats through print and electronic media.”

 It also pointed out that during his tenure, former Sindh chief secretary Sohail Rajput had instructed then-Karachi commissioner Saleem Rajput to take efforts to vacate the buildings declared dangerous by the SBCA Technical Committee.  The matter was still pending, it added.

‘We are helpless’: Relatives worry for trapped families

 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.

 According to what he told the AFP, "nothing is left for me now — my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery." Women residents stand by, as rescue workers search for survivors in the rubble of a five-storey residential building, which collapsed in Karachi on July 4, 2025. — Reuters/Akhtar Soomro

 Maya Sham Jee, a second resident, said that her brother's family was also buried under the rubble. "It is tragic 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.”

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

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

 Saeed Ghani stresses timely evacuation of unsafe buildings

 A high-level committee has been established, according to Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, and it will submit a report on the incident within three days. Zubair Memon, his spokesperson, stated that the committee has been instructed to submit a report identifying the negligent officers. The minister also ordered the suspension of the related officials at the SBCA.

 Speaking to reporters at the site of the incident, Ghani lamented that residents did not evacuate the building despite being served notices previously due to the unsafe conditions of the run-down structure.

 “Not one but many notices were given to them (residents) to evacuate the building in the past four to six years.  However, I can also comprehend the struggle of the people. Ghani went on to say, "[...] On the one hand is your home in which you are residing, [but] on the other hand is your life." He urged people who lived in other decaying buildings to leave to avoid a disaster.

“If we forcibly make them evacuate, then also a humanitarian aspect comes forward, and we have to become a target of criticism for it,” the minister stressed.

 Ghani said he had been told that the building was built in 1974.  “There is an entire mafia that constructs these illegal buildings in the city; we have taken strict action against them and filed FIRs,” he said, urging citizens not to buy or rent such buildings to “end the demand”.

 In a statement, Ghani said that he was aware of the incident and gave the top officials of the relevant authorities, including the SBCA, the order to go to the scene of the incident to watch the rescue efforts. “A report on the causes of the building collapse and all its reasons should be submitted immediately,” he said in the statement issued by Memon.

 Ghani continued, "All obstacles around the building should be removed to accelerate the rescue operation." Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and the use of shoddy construction materials.

 But Karachi, home to more than 20m, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding and lax enforcement of building regulations.

 In April, a 10-year-old girl died when a three-storey building in Bhains Colony suddenly collapsed, while a man and a woman were pulled alive from the debris.

 In Shah Faisal Colony, in October 2023, a building that was still under construction collapsed, causing five deaths and four injuries. The city witnessed two such incidents within 72 hours in September 2020, claiming the lives of at least three people and injuring over a dozen.

 Lyari also faced a similar incident in June 2020, when 22 people were killed after a five-storey residential building housing about 40 apartments collapsed.

 27 people were killed in a building collapse in the Gulbahar area of Karachi in March 2020. A similar 2011 incident in Lyari’s Musa Lane neighbourhood took 33 lives.

 Rescue DG lists ‘hinderances’ in operations

 According to a statement released by Sindh Rescue 1122 Director General (DG) Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, the Central Command and Control Centre of the service was informed of the incident at 10:53 a.m. The Rescue 1122 DG stated, "The Urban Search and Rescue team, along with a disaster-response vehicle (DRV), reached the site of the incident immediately after the alert was received." He detailed that over 100 rescue personnel, five DRVs, two snorkels and multiple ambulances were present at the building’s location.  Cranes and lifters have also been dispatched to the site, DG Shaikh added.

 He explained that there were hindrances during the rescue operation due to the “unruly crowd, various road blockades and mobile network [issues]”.

 Mobile services are usually suspended in certain areas due to security concerns during Muharram.

 The Rescue 1122 head affirmed that the operation would continue till the site was “cleared”.

Sindh CM seeks report

 Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed that rescue teams immediately rescue those trapped under the rubble, while immediate medical assistance be provided to the injured.

 According to a statement released by his spokesperson Abdul Rashid Channa, CM Murad was quoted as saying, "This is an unfortunate incident; concerned authorities should submit an immediate report." CM Murad also sought details of dilapidated buildings in Karachi from the SBCA.

 “Dangerous buildings should be identified immediately and practical steps should be taken to protect citizens,” CM Murad said.  “Negligence will not be tolerated; protection of human lives is the top priority.”

 Rescue officials at the site of a building collapse in Karachi’s Lyari area on July 4, 2025. — screengrab from video via author

 Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori expressed his grief over the incident and ordered rescue authorities to conduct “immediate, effective, and coordinated relief operations”.

 In a statement, he directed that all available resources be employed to safely rescue those trapped under the rubble, and that “every possible facility” be provided to the affected families.

 “Any kind of neglect or carelessness will be intolerable,” Tessori warned.