Rescue operation continues as spotlight falls on illegal and unsafe structures across the city
The death toll from the collapse of a five-storey residential building in Karachi’s Lyari area has risen to 17, as rescue teams recovered more bodies from the rubble over the weekend.
The building, located in the densely populated Baghdadi locality, caved in early on Friday morning, trapping dozens of residents under tonnes of debris. Emergency workers have so far rescued nine injured survivors, but local officials fear that 25 to 30 more people may still be buried beneath the wreckage.
Among the deceased are three women and a child, according to authorities.
The incident has sparked scenes of anguish and panic in Pakistan’s largest city, with renewed scrutiny on ageing and illegally constructed buildings. According to officials, the collapsed building was declared structurally unsafe as far back as 2022. Despite being served multiple evacuation notices in recent years, no action was taken to vacate the premises, which housed six families in a total of 18 flats.
“We had issued warnings in 2022, 2023, and even earlier this year,” said Karachi South Deputy Commissioner Javed Khoso, adding that the structure was one of 107 buildings in the district classified as dangerous. Of these, 21 were marked as highly hazardous and 14 had already been vacated, he said.
Rescue operations entered their second day on Saturday, with emergency personnel racing against time to locate survivors. Deputy Commissioner Khoso told Geo News that the mission could take another eight to ten hours to complete.
Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi urged residents living in similarly damaged or unfit buildings to relocate immediately. “We cannot forcefully evict anyone,” Naqvi said, while confirming that he would be meeting officials from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to address the broader issue of unauthorised and unsafe constructions.
Officials have revealed that Lyari alone is home to 22 buildings considered extremely dangerous—16 of which have already been evacuated. But the latest tragedy has raised urgent questions about enforcement failures and the lack of preventive action despite repeated warnings.
As grieving families await news of missing loved ones, pressure is mounting on city authorities to act swiftly against the rising threat posed by Karachi’s crumbling infrastructure.
