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Malay Mail
07-07-2025
- Malay Mail
Pakistan pulls 27 bodies from collapsed Karachi apartment, rescue ops conclude
KARACHI, July 7 — Pakistan rescuers have concluded a three day-long rescue operation, recovering 27 bodies from a building that collapsed in the mega port city of Karachi, officials said today. 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. 'All the bodies trapped under the debris have been recovered, so the search operation has been called off,' the top government official in the district, Javed Nabi Khoso, told AFP. 'The total death toll stands at 27 people.' 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. Twenty of the victims were Hindus, according to Sundeep Maheshewari, an activist in the minority community. 'Most of the families are very poor,' he told AFP. Government official Khoso said that five out of more than 50 more dangerous buildings in his district have been evacuated since Saturday. 'The operation has been initiated and will continue until all such buildings are evacuated,' he said. 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. — AFP
Arab News
07-07-2025
- Arab News
Pakistan building collapse site cleared with 27 dead
KARACHI: Pakistan rescuers have concluded a three day-long rescue operation, recovering 27 bodies from a building that collapsed in the mega port city of Karachi, officials said on Monday. Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled around 10:00 am on Friday in Karachi's impoverished Lyari neighborhood, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan. 'All the bodies trapped under the debris have been recovered, so the search operation has been called off,' the top government official in the district, Javed Nabi Khoso, told AFP. 'The total death toll stands at 27 people.' 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. Twenty of the victims were Hindus, according to Sundeep Maheshewari, an activist in the minority community. 'Most of the families are very poor,' he told AFP. Government official Khoso said that five out of more than 50 more dangerous buildings in his district have been evacuated since Saturday. 'The operation has been initiated and will continue until all such buildings are evacuated,' he said. 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, aging infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.
New Indian Express
07-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Pakistan building collapse site cleared with 27 dead
KARACHI: Pakistan rescuers have concluded a three day-long rescue operation, recovering 27 bodies from a building that collapsed in the mega port city of Karachi, officials said on Monday. 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. "All the bodies trapped under the debris have been recovered, so the search operation has been called off," the top government official in the district, Javed Nabi Khoso, told AFP. "The total death toll stands at 27 people." 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. Twenty of the victims were Hindus, according to Sundeep Maheshewari, an activist in the minority community. "Most of the families are very poor," he told AFP. Government official Khoso said that five out of more than 50 more dangerous buildings in his district have been evacuated since Saturday. "The operation has been initiated and will continue until all such buildings are evacuated," he said. 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.
The Star
06-07-2025
- General
- The Star
Death toll in Pakistan building collapse rises to 21
Rescuers search among the rubble at the site of a building collapse in Karachi, Pakistan, on July 5. - Photo: EPA KARACHI, (Pakistan): The death toll from the collapse of a residential building in the Pakistani mega-city of Karachi rose to 21 on Saturday (July 5), after rescue teams worked for a second day in search of survivors. Authorities said the building had been declared unsafe and eviction notices were sent to occupants over three years, but landlords and some residents told AFP they had not received them. Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled around 10am 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. The death toll stood at 21 late Saturday, said senior district government official Javed Nabi Khoso. The rescue operation was ongoing. "My daughter is under the rubble," 54-year-old Dev Raj told AFP at the scene. "She was my beloved daughter. She was so sensitive but is under the burden of debris. She got married just six months ago." Earlier Saturday, families said that at least eight people were still believed to be trapped as temperatures climbed to 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit). Khoso said that notices had been served in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to occupants. "We don't want to impose our orders by force. We work in phases and send them notices to leave the building. They didn't take the notices seriously," he told AFP. But Imran Khaskheli, an owner and resident watching the rescue operation on Saturday, denied receiving notices. "Do you think we are out of our senses to stay in an unsafe building with our families?" he said. Khaskheli told AFP he had seen cracks in the pillars of the building early Friday. "I knocked on all the doors and asked families to leave immediately," he said, adding that around 40 families lived in the building but that many did not heed his warning. More than 50 buildings in the district have been declared unsafe, with six evacuated since yesterday, according to Khoso. - 'We are helpless' - Many of the victims are believed to be women, who are more likely to be at home during the day. All six members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari's family were in their first-floor apartment 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 said Friday. Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, told AFP 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 said. "We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely." Shankar Kamho, a 30-year-old resident, was out at the time when his wife called to say the building was cracking. "I told her to get out immediately," he told AFP. "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." - AFP
ABC News
06-07-2025
- ABC News
Pakistan apartment collapse kills residents in impoverished Karachi neighbourhood
The death toll from the collapse of a residential building in the Pakistani megacity of Karachi stands at 21 after rescue teams worked for a second day searching for survivors. Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled on Friday morning local time in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan. Authorities said the building had been declared unsafe and eviction notices were sent to occupants over three years, but landlords and some residents told AFP they had not received them. Late on Saturday, senior district government official Javed Nabi Khoso said the death toll stood at 21 and the rescue operation was ongoing. Residents said the building was located on a narrow street, hampering efforts to bring in additional heavy equipment. It was unclear whether there were people still trapped inside. Dev Raj, 54, told AFP his daughter was underneath the rubble. "She was my beloved daughter. She was so sensitive but is under the burden of debris. She got married just six months ago," he said. Earlier on Saturday, families said at least eight people were still believed to be trapped as temperatures climbed to 33 degrees Celsius. Mr Khoso said notices had been served in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to occupants. "We don't want to impose our orders by force. We work in phases and send them notices to leave the building. They didn't take the notices seriously," he told AFP. But Imran Khaskheli, an owner and resident watching the rescue operation on Saturday, denied receiving notices. Mr Khaskheli told AFP he had seen cracks in the pillars of the building early on Friday. "I knocked on all the doors and asked families to leave immediately," he said, adding that about 40 families lived in the building but that many did not heed his warning. More than 50 buildings in the district have been declared unsafe, with six evacuated since yesterday, according to Mr Khoso. Many of the victims are believed to be women, who are more likely to be at home during the day. All six members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari's family were in their first-floor apartment 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 said on Friday. Shankar Kamho, a 30-year-old resident, was out at the time when his wife called to say the building was cracking. "I told her to get out immediately," he told AFP. "She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her 'this building will stand for at least 10 more years'," he said. Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced. Many structures are built with substandard materials, and safety regulations are frequently ignored to cut costs. In June 2020, an apartment building collapsed in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, killing 22 people. AFP/AP
