Two people were killed and several others were injured when a six-storey residential building collapsed in Lyari area of Karachi.
The building collapsed in Khokhar Kitchen Street in Liaqat Colony of Nayaabad area of Lyari. Army, Rangers, police and rescue teams rushed to the spot as soon as the accident was reported.
According to Edhi Foundation spokesman Saad Edhi, two bodies have been recovered from the rubble of the collapsed building and shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi.
The dead included a woman and a child, while several injured were taken to a civil hospital by ambulance, he said.
Rescue officials initially said three injured people had been rescued from the rubble of the building, while a large crowd had gathered, hampering rescue efforts.
SSP City Muqaddas Haider said that one body and three injured people were recovered from the rubble of a collapsed building in Lyari. Residents were given notices as the building was dilapidated, after which several families vacated the flats. Were gone
He said that another crack had appeared in the building on Sunday morning after which several houses of the building had become vacant.
SSP City said it was too early to say how many more people were buried in the rubble.
Upon receiving the news of the accident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the collapse of the residential building and directed the Commissioner Karachi to immediately start rescue operations at the spot.
According to a statement issued by the Sindh Chief Minister’s spokesperson on Twitter, the Chief Minister directed to save the lives of the residents and said that no effort should be spared in the relief operation.
He said that first the relief operation should be completed and then a full inquiry report should be submitted.
According to Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) spokesman Ali Mehdi Kazmi, the building that collapsed in Lyari was among the buildings declared dangerous, but the building was not demolished.
He said the building was considered dangerous for housing, which was old and dilapidated.
SBCA officials had also issued notices to vacate the building six months ago and recommended disconnection of electricity and gas connections two months ago but no action was taken by the management.
It may be recalled that in March this year, a residential building collapsed in Gulbahar area of Karachi, as a result of which 27 people were killed.
It may be recalled that the rescue operation was completed on the fourth day in this incident in which other civil institutions besides the Engineering Corps of the Pakistan Army took part in the relief activities and the work of removing debris from the accident site was completed.
Rescue officials said that a total of three buildings were affected in the tragedy and no one is likely to be buried under the rubble. However, the adjoining building is also damaged so citizens have been instructed to stay away from the building.
Later, a case was registered against the owner of the collapsed building in the government’s complaint. The case was registered in Rizvia police station.
According to the FIR, the building is owned by a man named Mohammad Javed Khan who is doing construction work and he also built the demolished Ground Plus 4 building.
The FIR also said that officials of government departments had not met the legal requirements for the construction of the building.