Survivors grieve, worry about future after deadly building collapse in Pakistan, Asia News
The five-storey building collapsed on Friday in the overcrowded inner-city Lyari district where many working-class and poor families live in ageing apartment blocks. The site is now a tangle of twisted metal, shattered concrete and scattered belongings, schoolbooks, shoes and sewing machines.
On Monday, rescue officials said the death toll had reached 27 and dozens of people were being housed in makeshift shelters following the building's collapse and the evacuation of nearby buildings over structural fears.
"I grew up in that building. I knew everyone who lived there," said Imdad Hussain, 28, a fisherman who lost neighbours, childhood friends and seven members of his extended family.
He is now sheltering with relatives, and family members are in mourning as they try to figure out what the future holds.
"We've lost our home, our people. I don't know how we'll start again," he said.
Officials in Karachi, the capital of the southeastern province of Sindh, said the building had received multiple evacuation notices since 2023, including a final one in late June.
Saeed Ghani, Provincial Minister of Sindh for Local Governments, said the Karachi commissioner — who oversees the city administration — had been tasked with inspecting 51 buildings identified as "extremely dangerous" to prevent similar collapses. Building shook violently
Residents said the building in Lyari, which has been home to generations of working-class families from minority and migrant backgrounds, shook violently on Friday before collapsing in a cloud of dust.
Rescue workers had been digging through the debris since Friday but declared the search over late on Sunday.
They said about 100 residents from 12 families had been living in the building, and nearly 50 more families had been displaced after three neighbouring buildings were declared unsafe and evacuated.
Lakshmi, a school janitor who lived next door to the collapsed building, said her sister had lived in the building that came down and called moments before it fell to say it was shaking.
Her sister survived, but Lakshmi feared losing the gold she had left with her for safekeeping before her daughter's wedding.
"We got out with our lives, but everything else is gone, with no certainty about what is to come," Lakshmi said.
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AsiaOne
15 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Survivors grieve, worry about future after deadly building collapse in Pakistan, Asia News
KARACHI — Survivors of a building collapse that killed 27 people in the Pakistani city of Karachi were trying on Monday (July 7) to come to terms with the loss of loved ones and their homes. The five-storey building collapsed on Friday in the overcrowded inner-city Lyari district where many working-class and poor families live in ageing apartment blocks. The site is now a tangle of twisted metal, shattered concrete and scattered belongings, schoolbooks, shoes and sewing machines. On Monday, rescue officials said the death toll had reached 27 and dozens of people were being housed in makeshift shelters following the building's collapse and the evacuation of nearby buildings over structural fears. "I grew up in that building. I knew everyone who lived there," said Imdad Hussain, 28, a fisherman who lost neighbours, childhood friends and seven members of his extended family. He is now sheltering with relatives, and family members are in mourning as they try to figure out what the future holds. "We've lost our home, our people. I don't know how we'll start again," he said. Officials in Karachi, the capital of the southeastern province of Sindh, said the building had received multiple evacuation notices since 2023, including a final one in late June. Saeed Ghani, Provincial Minister of Sindh for Local Governments, said the Karachi commissioner — who oversees the city administration — had been tasked with inspecting 51 buildings identified as "extremely dangerous" to prevent similar collapses. Building shook violently Residents said the building in Lyari, which has been home to generations of working-class families from minority and migrant backgrounds, shook violently on Friday before collapsing in a cloud of dust. Rescue workers had been digging through the debris since Friday but declared the search over late on Sunday. They said about 100 residents from 12 families had been living in the building, and nearly 50 more families had been displaced after three neighbouring buildings were declared unsafe and evacuated. Lakshmi, a school janitor who lived next door to the collapsed building, said her sister had lived in the building that came down and called moments before it fell to say it was shaking. Her sister survived, but Lakshmi feared losing the gold she had left with her for safekeeping before her daughter's wedding. "We got out with our lives, but everything else is gone, with no certainty about what is to come," Lakshmi said. [[nid:719697]]
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Survivors grieve, worry about future after deadly building collapse in Pakistan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The collapsed building had been home to about 100 residents. KARACHI - Survivors of a building collapse that killed 27 people in the Pakistani city of Karachi were trying on July 7 to come to terms with the loss of loved ones and their homes. The five-storey building collapsed on July 4 in the overcrowded inner-city Lyari district where many working-class and poor families live in ageing apartment blocks. The site is now a tangle of twisted metal, shattered concrete and scattered belongings, schoolbooks, shoes and sewing machines. On July 7, rescue officials said the death toll had reached 27 and dozens of people were being housed in makeshift shelters following the building's collapse and the evacuation of nearby buildings over structural fears. "I grew up in that building. I knew everyone who lived there," said Mr Imdad Hussain, 28, a fisherman who lost neighbours, childhood friends and seven members of his extended family. He is now sheltering with relatives, and family members are in mourning as they try to figure out what the future holds. "We've lost our home, our people. I don't know how we'll start again," he said. Officials in Karachi, the capital of the southeastern province of Sindh, said the building had received multiple evacuation notices since 2023, including a final one in late June. Mr Saeed Ghani, Provincial Minister of Sindh for Local Governments, said the Karachi commissioner - who oversees the city administration - had been tasked with inspecting 51 buildings identified as "extremely dangerous" to prevent similar collapses. Residents said the building in Lyari, which has been home to generations of working-class families from minority and migrant backgrounds, shook violently on July 4 before collapsing in a cloud of dust. Rescue workers had been digging through the debris since July 4 but declared the search over late on July 6. They said about 100 residents from 12 families had been living in the building, and nearly 50 more families had been displaced after three neighbouring buildings were declared unsafe and evacuated. Ms Lakshmi, a school janitor who lived next door to the collapsed building, said her sister had lived in the building that came down and called moments before it fell to say it was shaking. Her sister survived, but Ms Lakshmi feared losing the gold she had left with her for safekeeping before her daughter's wedding. "We got out with our lives, but everything else is gone, with no certainty about what is to come," she said. REUTERS
Straits Times
04-06-2025
- Straits Times
Pakistan 'ready but not desperate' for talks with India, says foreign minister
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, attends the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of The International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong, China May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Bertha Wang/File Photo Pakistan 'ready but not desperate' for talks with India, says foreign minister ISLAMABAD - Pakistan is "ready but not desperate" for talks with arch-rival India, its foreign minister said on Wednesday, underlining the lack of a thaw in relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours following their worst military conflict in decades. Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery last month in four days of clashes, their worst fighting in decades, before a ceasefire the U.S. said it brokered on May 10. India has denied any third party role in the ceasefire. "Whenever they ask for a dialogue, at whatever level, we are ready but we are not desperate," Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told a news conference in Islamabad. The spark for the fighting was an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. Dar said Pakistan wanted a comprehensive dialogue on a range of issues including water, whereas India wanted to focus only on terrorism. "That's not on. Nobody else is more serious than us. It takes two to tango," he said, referring to comments by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that the talks should only cover the issue of terrorism. The Indian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Dar's remarks. New Delhi has previously said the only matter left to discuss with Pakistan was the vacation of what India describes as Pakistani-held territory in Kashmir - a disputed Himalayan region that both nations claim in full but rule in part. Pakistan is keen to discuss water rights after India held "in abeyance" the Indus Waters Treaty following the April 22 attack. The treaty guarantees water for 80% of Pakistan's farms from three rivers that flow from India. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
