Death toll from building collapse in Pakistan's Karachi jumps to 27

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, PAKISTAN (AA) - The death toll from the collapse of a dilapidated building in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi jumped to 27 as rescuers concluded their days-long search and rescue operation, officials said on Sunday.

Dozens of people were trapped under the rubble after the five-story building collapsed in Lyari town, a run-down neighborhood that straddles the Arabian Sea, on Friday.

Rescuers retrieved another body from the rubble on Sunday, which raised the toll to 27, while two wounded, one critically, are being treated at a hospital, Dr. Summaiya Syed, the Karachi police surgeon, told Anadolu.

Over a dozen people also sustained minor injuries in the accident.

Authorities said they have concluded the search operation while the rubble is being removed.

Initial investigations revealed that the building, which originally had three floors, was declared unsafe for habitation in 2022. Instead of being vacated, the owner constructed an additional two floors with the alleged connivance of the building control authorities.

Karachi, the country's commercial capital with a population of over 20 million people, is home to hundreds of dilapidated buildings due to the ravages of time and chronic neglect.

Building collapses are not uncommon in the metropolis, which accounts for 90% of the country's international trade.

In March 2020, a dilapidated building collapsed in Karachi's Golimar area, killing at least 27 people and injuring over 50.