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RNZ News
05-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Death toll in Pakistan building collapse rises to 21
By Sameer Mandhro , AFP Rescue workers conduct a search operation amid the debris of a collapsed residential building in Karachi on 5 July, 2025. Photo: RIZWAN TABASSUM / AFP The death toll from the collapse of a residential building in the Pakistani mega-city of Karachi rose to 21 on Saturday, 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 33C. 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. 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
South China Morning Post
05-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
14 killed in Pakistan building collapse, search continues for survivors
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 residential block crumbled shortly after 10am 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, said the operation continued through the night 'without interruption'. 'It may take eight to twelve hours more to complete,' he said. Police official Summiaya Syed, at a Karachi hospital where the bodies were received, said 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 reporters.
Arab News
05-07-2025
- Arab News
Search continues after Pakistan building collapse kills 14
KARACHI: Rescue teams pulled more bodies from the rubble of a five-story building collapse in Pakistan overnight, taking the toll on Saturday to 14 as the recovery operation continued for a second day. The residential block crumbled shortly after 10:00 a.m. on Friday in the impoverished Lyari neighborhood 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, said 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, said 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 said. 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 said 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 said. '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 said at the scene. 'She went to warn the neighbors, 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.'
France 24
05-07-2025
- General
- France 24
Search continues after Pakistan building collapse kills 14
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." © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Several people killed in multistorey building collapse in Pakistan
A five-storey building has collapsed in Pakistan, killing at least eight people and injuring nine others, officials said, with rescuers searching through the rubble for more trapped victims. The incident occurred on Friday, shortly after 10am (05:00 GMT) in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence. Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told the AFP news agency. Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said he got a call from his wife saying 'the building was cracking' and he told her to 'get out immediately'. 'She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her 'this building will stand for at least 10 more years.' Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed,' he told AFP. Residents also said the building was located on a narrow street, making it difficult for rescue teams to bring in additional heavy equipment. Television footage showed rescuers removing the rubble and evacuating nearby buildings as a precaution. Saad Edhi, of the Edhi welfare foundation that is part of the rescue operation, told AFP there could be 'at least eight to 10 more people still trapped', describing it as a 'worn-out building'. 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. 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. 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. In June 2020, an apartment building collapsed in Karachi, killing 22 people.
