Two Women Die, Three Injured in Karachi Building Collapse

Karachi, July 16 (PTI): A tragic incident unfolded in downtown Karachi on Thursday when the roof of an aging and structurally compromised building collapsed, resulting in the deaths of two women and injuries to three others.

The six-storey building, located in the Khada Market area of Karachi’s Lyari, was the site of the collapse, as confirmed by rescue and police officials. The sad event comes only two weeks after another building in nearby Lyari collapsed, claiming the lives of 27 people. Last month, an additional incident in the Soldier Bazar area led to the rescue of 22 individuals from a partly collapsed residential building.

According to Hassaanul Haseeb Khan, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, two women, who were sisters, lost their lives in the Thursday collapse, while three of their daughters were seriously injured. The building, known as Ghani Mansion, was undergoing roof repair on the sixth floor at the time of the collapse.

The old districts of Karachi are home to numerous deteriorating buildings that have been deemed unsafe by authorities. Despite multiple warnings, many residents choose not to vacate the premises. In response to these events, Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani noted that 107 buildings in Lyari alone had been designated as unsafe, with ongoing efforts to evacuate them.

Since the Lyari building disaster, 44 dilapidated buildings, including 10 designated as protected heritage sites in the city’s South district, have been vacated for demolition.