KARACHI: Two people were killed while five others were injured in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Monday after rain caused a single-story building to collapse, a rescue official confirmed, putting the spotlight on the presence of a large number of unsafe buildings in the metropolis.
The incident took place in Karachi’s Old Lyari area near the Chakiwara police station on Monday morning, Rescue 1122 spokesperson said in a statement. He added that the rescue service dispatched its Urban Search and Rescue team and Disaster Response Vehicle as soon as it came to know about the building collapse.
“Two people were killed while five were injured in the incident,” the spokesperson said. “All persons have been shifted to the Civil Hospital’s trauma center.”
When asked whether the building collapsed due to rain, the spokesperson responded: “Yes.”
According to details issued by the rescue service, 30-year-old Hussain Lal and 28-year-old Mansoor Ali Bilal were killed in the building collapse.
The Sindh Building Control Authority (SCBA) has declared 722 buildings in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city where over 20 million people live, as dangerous and unfit for living. The SBCA is the official authority in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province responsible for approving and regulating the construction of buildings.
Numerous building collapses in the city in recent years have led to accusations that the SBCA is negligent in ensuring builders adhere to construction safety standards.
In June, a three-story building collapsed in Karachi’s Liaquatabad neighborhood. However, no casualties were reported in the incident as residents had already been evacuated from the building.
On April 22, 2024, a three-story building in the North Nazimabad area collapsed, killing one man and injuring four others. On March 31, 2024, an old building in the city’s Ranchore Line area collapsed, injuring four men and one woman.
On October 11, 2023, a building collapsed in Shah Faisal Colony, resulting in five deaths and two injuries. A two-story building in the Machar Colony area collapsed on December 18, 2023, killing three and injuring 17.
On June 10, 2020, a five-story residential building collapsed in Lyari, killing at least 25.
