Lyari building collapse incident: 60-Hour rescue operation ends, leaves 27 people dead
KARACHI: Officials concluded the search and rescue operation in Lyari’s Bhagdadi area on Sunday after nearly three days, confirming that the building collapse claimed 27 lives.
“The rescue operation lasted 60 hours and has now concluded,” Assistant Commissioner Shehryar Habib told reporters, pledging to launch a crackdown on all buildings declared unfit in the area.
The five-storey residential building collapsed on Friday, triggering a large-scale rescue effort. Authorities have performed the last rites for 20 victims and vowed to take action against those responsible for the tragedy.
Although tragic, the incident does not stand alone—Karachi has witnessed repeated building collapses over the past several years.
“Starting tomorrow, we will launch operations against all buildings declared unfit in Lyari,” Habib announced. He added that authorities have also declared three buildings surrounding the collapsed one as dangerous.
“We have evacuated all three buildings and will now seal them,” he said. According to Assistant Commissioner Shehryar Habib, authorities have identified over 50 dangerous buildings across Karachi South.
“Residents evacuated from these structures are currently staying with relatives. Authorities are in the process of formulating a strategy to relocate residents of all unsafe buildings to safer accommodations.”
Rescue teams recovered 26 bodies from the rubble, including nine women, 15 men, a ten-year-old boy, and a one-and-a-half-year-old girl. Another victim died from injuries while receiving treatment.
High-level committee:
The Sindh government formed a high-level committee to investigate the incident and directed it to submit a report by Monday.
The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) disclosed that the collapsed structure, which was 30 years old and housed over 40 people in 20 apartments, had already been marked as unsafe.
The authority stated that it had issued formal evacuation notices two years prior, with the latest notice served on June 25, 2025. It also sent requests to K-Electric and the water board to disconnect utility services, but neither agency cut the connections, and the building remained occupied.
The incident highlights the ongoing threat posed by buildings that have already been declared unsafe and unfit for habitation by the SBCA. Currently, Karachi has 578 such buildings, with 456 located in District South alone.
Other districts also face similar risks, with 66 unsafe buildings in Central, 23 in Keamari, 14 in Korangi, 13 in East, 4 in Malir, and 2 in West.
