Pakistan building collapse: 14 killed, several trapped as search operations continue in Karachi
The residential block crumbled shortly after 10:00 am on Friday in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan. Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, leading the government's 1122 rescue service at the scene, told AFP the operation continued through the night "without interruption".
"It may take eight to 12 hours more to complete," he said. Police official Summiaya Syed, at a Karachi hospital where the bodies were received, told AFP that the death toll on Saturday morning stood at 14, half of them women, with 13 injured.
Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP. All six members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari's family were at his flat on the first floor when he left for work early in the morning.
"Nothing is left for me now -- my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery," he told AFP on Friday afternoon. Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, said her brother's family was also trapped under the rubble. "It's a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family," she told AFP.
'We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.' Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said around 20 families were living inside.
He described how his wife called him in a panic that the building was cracking. I told her to get out immediately," he told AFP at the scene. "She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her 'this building will stand for at least 10 more years'," he said. 'Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Emergency situation': Influx of Afghans returning to their country from Iran ahead of deadline; 250,000 already returned in June
ANI file photo In the days before a return deadline set for Sunday, tens of thousands of Afghans crossed the border from Iran, creating an 'emergency' situation at border crossings, according to the United Nations. Iranian authorities said that out of six million Afghans living in Iran, about four million could be affected by a late May order asking them to leave the country by July 6. Unicef's representative in Afghanistan, Tajudeen Oyewale, called the situation an 'emergency' in a country already facing a 'chronic returnee crisis.' He said that 1.4 million Afghans have returned this year from long-time host countries like Iran and Pakistan. Men, women, and even entire families are crossing the border with little money or belongings. 'What is concerning is that 25 percent of all these returnees are children… because the demographics have shifted,' Oyewale was quoted as saying to news agency AFP on Thursday. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday that the number of people crossing the border has gone up since mid-June. On July 1, about 43,000 people crossed into Herat province through Islam Qala border. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Providers are furious: Internet access without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo More than 250,000 Afghans returned from Iran in June alone, according to the UN migration agency (IOM). 'When you start hitting more than 20,000 people (a day) that is completely beyond the planning scenario that we have,' said Oyewale. He explained that while the border crossing at Islam Qala can handle the large number of people, it struggles to provide services. The UN is improving water and sanitation facilities meant for 7,000–10,000 people a day. It is also running vaccination campaigns, providing nutrition support, and setting up spaces for children. Many Afghans risk being deported or arrested. Aref Atayi, 38, told AFP, 'Some people are so afraid that they don't leave the house themselves… They send their young children out just for a piece of bread, and even those children get arrested sometimes.' The UN, international aid groups, and Taliban officials have all asked for more support for the returnees. Foreign aid to Afghanistan has been cut heavily in recent years. The UN has urged countries not to force Afghans to return, saying the country is already struggling with poverty, high unemployment, and climate change. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 after the US and Nato forces withdrew.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
18 hours ago
- First Post
27 dead in Pakistan after five-storey building collapses in Karachi
Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled around 10:00 am on Friday in Karachi's impoverished Lyari neighbourhood read more Families wait amidst the debris of a collapsed building in Karachi on July 5, 2025. Source: AFP Rescue teams were in the final stages of clearing the wreckage of a five-storey building that collapsed in Pakistan's mega city of Karachi killing 27 people, officials said Sunday. Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled around 10:00 am on Friday in Karachi's impoverished Lyari neighbourhood, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan. 'Most of the debris has been removed,' Hassaan Khan, a spokesman for government rescue service 1122 told AFP, adding that the death toll stood at 27 on Sunday morning. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He expected the operation to finish by the afternoon. Authorities said the building had been declared unsafe and eviction notices were sent to occupants between 2022 and 2024, but landlords and some residents told AFP they had not received them. 'My daughter is under the rubble,' 54-year-old Dev Raj told AFP at the scene on Saturday. 'She was my beloved daughter. She was so sensitive but is under the burden of debris. She got married just six months ago.' Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people. But Karachi, home to more than 20 million, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Pakistan building collapse: 14 killed, several trapped as search operations continue in Karachi
Rescue teams pulled more bodies from the rubble of a five-storey building collapse in Pakistan overnight, taking the toll on Saturday to 14 as the recovery operation continued for a second day. The incident happened shortly after 10 am (0500 GMT) in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan. (AFP) The residential block crumbled shortly after 10:00 am on Friday in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan. Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, leading the government's 1122 rescue service at the scene, told AFP the operation continued through the night "without interruption". "It may take eight to 12 hours more to complete," he said. Police official Summiaya Syed, at a Karachi hospital where the bodies were received, told AFP that the death toll on Saturday morning stood at 14, half of them women, with 13 injured. Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP. All six members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari's family were at his flat on the first floor when he left for work early in the morning. "Nothing is left for me now -- my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery," he told AFP on Friday afternoon. Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, said her brother's family was also trapped under the rubble. "It's a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family," she told AFP. 'We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.' Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said around 20 families were living inside. He described how his wife called him in a panic that the building was cracking. I told her to get out immediately," he told AFP at the scene. "She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her 'this building will stand for at least 10 more years'," he said. 'Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.'
