By AFP
July 5, 2025
The residential block crumbled on Friday morning in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan
- Copyright AFP Rizwan TABASSUM
Sameer MANDHRO
Rescue teams in Pakistan worked in searing heat and humidity on Saturday to recover residents trapped under the rubble of a building that collapsed, killing 16 people.
Authorities said the building had been declared unsafe and eviction notices were sent to occupants over three years, but landlords and some residents told AFP they had not received them.
Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled around 10:00 am on Friday in Karachi’s impoverished Lyari neighbourhood, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan.
The death toll stood at 16 on Saturday, with 13 injured, according to Summiaya Syed, a police surgeon for the provincial health department.
“My daughter is under the rubble,” 54-year-old Dev Raj told AFP at the scene.
“She was my beloved daughter. She was so sensitive but is under the burden of debris. She got married just 6 months ago.”
Rescue teams worked throughout the night, and families said that at least eight people were still believed to be trapped as temperatures climbed to 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday morning.
A senior district government official, Javed Nabi Khoso, said that notices had been served in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to occupants.
“We don’t want to impose our orders by force. We work in phases and send them notices to leave the building. They didn’t take the notices seriously,” he told AFP.
But Imran Khaskheli, an owner and resident watching the rescue operation on Saturday, denied receiving notices.
“Do you think we are out of our senses to stay in an unsafe building with our families?” he said.
He told AFP he had seen cracks in the pillars of the building early on Friday morning.
“I knocked on all the doors and asked families to leave immediately,” he said, adding that around 40 families lived in the building but that many did not heed his warning.
More than 50 buildings in the district have been declared unsafe, with six evacuated since yesterday, according to Khoso.
– ‘We are helpless’ –
Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, leading the government’s 1122 rescue service at the scene, told AFP the operation was expected to continue into Saturday evening.
Many of the victims are believed to be women, who are more likely to be at home during the day.
All six members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari’s family were in their first-floor apartment 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 said on Friday.
Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, told AFP 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 said.
“We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.”
Shankar Kamho, a 30-year-old resident, was out at the time when his wife called to say the building was cracking.
“I told her to get out immediately,” he told AFP.
“She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her ‘this building will stand for at least 10 more years’,” he said.
“Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.”
Search on for survivors of Pakistan building collapse
By AFP
July 4, 2025
Rescuers and city residents worked together to pull people from the debris of the rundown building in the mega port city of Karachi
By AFP
July 4, 2025
Rescuers and city residents worked together to pull people from the debris of the rundown building in the mega port city of Karachi
- Copyright AFP Rizwan TABASSUM
Sameer MANDHRO
A five-storey building collapsed in Pakistan on Friday, killing at least eight people and injuring nine others, officials said, with rescuers searching through the rubble for more trapped victims.
The incident happened shortly after 10:00 am (0500 GMT) in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan.
Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP.
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.”
The Sindh provincial health department said the death toll had risen to eight killed and nine injured late Friday.
The search for survivors continued into the night, with relatives gathered near the site waiting for news.
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”.
– Race against time –
Nearby residents rushed to save their neighbours before rescuers took over to remove the rubble, along with at least five excavators.
The heavy machinery struggled to access the narrow alleys, and police baton-charged residents to clear the way.
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.”
In June 2020, at least 18 people were killed when a residential building housing about 40 apartments collapsed in the same area of the city.
Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.
But Karachi, home to more than 20 million, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.
Sameer MANDHRO
A five-storey building collapsed in Pakistan on Friday, killing at least eight people and injuring nine others, officials said, with rescuers searching through the rubble for more trapped victims.
The incident happened shortly after 10:00 am (0500 GMT) in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan.
Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP.
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.”
The Sindh provincial health department said the death toll had risen to eight killed and nine injured late Friday.
The search for survivors continued into the night, with relatives gathered near the site waiting for news.
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”.
– Race against time –
Nearby residents rushed to save their neighbours before rescuers took over to remove the rubble, along with at least five excavators.
The heavy machinery struggled to access the narrow alleys, and police baton-charged residents to clear the way.
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.”
In June 2020, at least 18 people were killed when a residential building housing about 40 apartments collapsed in the same area of the city.
Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.
But Karachi, home to more than 20 million, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.
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