Another incident of infrastructural collapse claimed the lives of two women, injuring three more in Karachi’s Lyari area, when the roofs of the fifth and sixth floors of a residential building in Khadda Market collapsed. The tragic incident, which occurred in the densely populated Baghdadi area, has raised fresh concerns about the safety of aging infrastructure in the city yet again. The building has since been sealed and evacuated to prevent further casualties.

According to the Edhi Foundation, the sixth-floor roof collapsed onto the fifth floor, and the fifth-floor roof subsequently gave way, causing significant structural damage. Rescue teams and police responded swiftly, cordoning off the area and initiating relief operations. The deceased include 45-year-old Hurmat Rafiq, while the identity of the second victim is still being confirmed. The injured, identified as 40-year-old Sakina, 18-year-old Hajra, and 22-year-old Jaweria, were promptly shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi for treatment.

DIG South Syed Asad Raza confirmed that the incident occurred at Ghani Mansion, a six-story building near Bilal Masjid and Peshawari Hotel. “The sixth floor collapsed onto the fifth, causing both roofs to give way. Police and rescue teams are working tirelessly to ensure no one remains trapped,” he said. The rescue operation faced challenges due to narrow lanes, which hindered the deployment of heavy machinery, but teams from Rescue 1122, the Edhi Foundation, and local police managed to clear debris and secure the site.

Provincial Minister for Local Government Saeed Ghani took immediate notice of the incident, directing Deputy Commissioner South and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to launch a swift rescue operation and submit a detailed report on the cause of the collapse. Ghani emphasized the need for accountability, stating, “We will investigate whether this building was previously identified as dilapidated and why no action was taken.”

This incident follows a series of building collapses in Lyari, including a major collapse earlier this month in Baghdadi, where a five-story building claimed 27 lives, including 20 from a single Hindu family. The Sindh government has since suspended SBCA officials and formed a high-level committee to investigate such incidents, highlighting the recurring issue of dilapidated structures in Karachi.

The SBCA has identified over 500 dilapidated buildings in the city, yet timely interventions seem to miss the mark, adding to the tragic count of deaths.