Rescue operation completes at collapsed building in Karachi

KARACHI: The rescue operation at the site of the collapsed residential building in Karachi’s Lyari area has been completed, according to the officials.

The six-storey structure came down on the morning of July 4, 2025, in the Baghdadi neighbourhood, killing 27 people and injuring eight others, including women.

According to rescue officials, all bodies have been recovered from the rubble, and heavy machinery has now been removed from the site.

The authorities informed that the district administration will seal the site where the tragedy in Karachi took place to avoid further disturbance or hazard.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has ordered a thorough meeting to inquiry into the reasons behind the collapse of the building in Lyari in response to the tragic accident. He pledged rigorous action against the people who were responsible for neglect.

Referring to wider safety issues, the Chief Minister announced that more than 480 Karachi buildings have been declared dangerous. But he added that when government officials request residents to leave such buildings, individuals tend to claim alternative housing and protection.

Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, who went to the site after 13 hours, said that the onus of the recent tragedy lies first and foremost with the people living in dangerous buildings.

He added that the Sindh Building Control Authority had issued notices earlier for the collapsed building.

He asked people to give importance to the safety of their families and themselves and told them that forcibly removing people from their residences is not a job anyone wishes to undertake, and the administration has no such plans.
Rescue officials say that another building in the vicinity has also developed cracks due to the collapse.

The SBCA says that the building, which collapsed in the Baghdadi area of Lyari, had been termed hazardous a long time back.

SBCA officials informed that the building was marked unsafe, and a number of enforcement actions had been taken. Officials stated that a number of notices were issued with directions to the residents to vacate the property.

Residents of the neighborhood, however, stated that no such notices had been issued by the administration.

The SBCA informed that 578 unsafe structures are present in the city, the maximum number of which are situated in District South.