{"id":12773,"date":"2025-07-06T12:04:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T12:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=12773"},"modified":"2025-07-06T12:04:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T12:04:04","slug":"rescue-efforts-ongoing-as-death-toll-in-lyari-building-collapse-climbs-to-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=12773","title":{"rendered":"Rescue efforts ongoing as death toll in Lyari building collapse climbs to 27"},"content":{"rendered":"
A five-storey structurally unstable building in Baghdad Colony, Lyari, collapsed more than 48 hours ago, leaving at least 27 people dead, officials said on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Dr Sabir Memon, Executive Director of Benazir Bhutto Trauma Center, confirmed the death toll. One injured person remains under treatment at the hospital.<\/p>\n

According to Rescue 1122 officials, the deceased include nine\u00a0women, 15 men, a 10-year-old boy, and an 18-month-old girl identified as Muqaddas. Another deceased was identified\u00a0as Shoaib by family members. Many of the deceased belong to the Hindu community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As more debris was cleared, more deceased were retrieved from under the rubble. Rescue teams, assisted by scanning equipment, are continuing efforts to locate more survivors or deceased.<\/p>\n

During the operation, cash, cheques\u00a0and jewellery were recovered from three separate locations and handed over to the local union council chairperson.<\/p>\n

The Edhi Foundation confirmed that the deceased\u00a0have been transferred to the cold storage facility at Lyari Musa Lane.<\/p>\n

South Deputy Commissioner\u00a0Javed Nabi Khosa told The Express Tribune that operations are being carried out with utmost care to avoid endangering anyone trapped alive. He noted that the densely populated area has made\u00a0rescue work difficult. But the\u00a0teams are equipped with advanced technology, he added.<\/p>\n

Rescue workers\u00a0have employed sniffer dogs and\u00a0heavy machinery as they search the rubble. Resident volunteers along with the police are assisting in the search operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read: Most Lyari building collapse victims belong to Hindu community<\/p>\n

Structural damage \u00a0<\/p>\n

Another seven-storey residential building in Lyari\u2019s Agra Taj Colony\u00a0was evacuated late Saturday night after\u00a0a joint operation by the district administration, Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA)\u00a0and the police.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The building was declared dangerous after signs of structural leaning were identified. Severe cracks had appeared in the structure after the recent monsoon spell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more: Hope fades as Lyari building collapse toll hits 23<\/p>\n

An inspection by SBCA engineers declared the building uninhabitable, prompting emergency evacuation. The\u00a0residents resisted at first\u00a0but\u00a0agreed to leave after successful negotiations.<\/p>\n

According to South Deputy Commissioner, the building housed 12 flats with 57 residents from 11 families.<\/p>\n

The building has now been sealed, its power supply has been disconnected\u00a0and the water tank has been demolished to prevent further danger.<\/p>\n

‘Unfit for living’<\/p>\n

Speaking to Express News,\u00a0Lyari Municipal Officer Hammad ND\u00a0Khan\u00a0said that the Sindh government has decided to evacuate all hazardous buildings in Lyari.<\/p>\n

He said\u00a0that a formal operation will be decided on Monday during a meeting chaired by the Sindh chief minister. It is expected that\u00a0all dangerous buildings will be evacuated in phases and demolished.<\/p>\n

He added\u00a0that the provincial government will develop a policy to provide alternative housing for the residents of these unsafe structures.<\/p>\n

Arrangements for temporary accommodation have been made in community centres and hotels for the victims of the collapsed and evacuated buildings, he said.\u00a0However, most of the affected residents have chosen to stay with their relatives or\u00a0on-site, he said, adding that\u00a0TMC Lyari is providing food and other necessities for them.<\/p>\n

According to Khan,\u00a0the rescue operation is likely to be end on\u00a0Sunday. Legal action will be taken under the law against all those involved in illegal constructions in Lyari, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One affected woman said the temporary shelter at a KMC school in Lyari was “unfit for living”.<\/p>\n

Demanding\u00a0accountability for endangered lives, affected residents have\u00a0accused\u00a0SBCA officials of accepting\u00a0bribes, both during and after the building\u2019s construction, and\u00a0ignoring clear violations.<\/p>\n

After the evacuation, SBCA registered a case at Kalri Police Station against the builder\u00a0and an unnamed contractor.<\/p>\n

The FIR states\u00a0that substandard materials and illegal construction methods were used, putting residents’ lives at serious risk, thereby necessitating the sealing of the building.<\/p>\n

The deputy commissioner said that if any government officials are found complicit in the building\u2019s construction, legal action will also be taken against them. He added that residents will be supported in recovering their financial losses from the builder.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A five-storey structurally unstable building in Baghdad Colony, Lyari, collapsed more than 48 hours ago, leaving at least 27 people dead, officials said on Sunday. Dr Sabir Memon, Executive Director of Benazir Bhutto Trauma Center, confirmed the death toll. One injured person remains under treatment at the hospital. According to Rescue 1122 officials, the deceased […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12773\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}