The Lyari building collapse has claimed at least 15 lives as rescue efforts continued into a second day on Saturday. A five-storey residential structure on Fida Husain Shaikha Road, already declared dangerous, crumbled early Friday in Karachi’s congested Baghdadi area. Rescue workers are still searching for survivors beneath the rubble.
Warnings Ignored, Accountability Questioned
The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) had declared the building unsafe back in 2022. It issued multiple eviction notices and requested utility disconnections. However, residents claimed they received no such notices. One resident, Imran Khaskheli, said he warned others to evacuate after spotting fresh cracks, but many ignored his pleas.
Read: PMD Warns of Glacial Flood Threat in GB and KP
Government Response and Political Criticism
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has requested a full report, and a high-level committee will present findings by Monday. Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani ordered the suspension of SBCA officials for negligence. Meanwhile, opposition leader Ali Khurshidi accused the Sindh government of systemic failure, saying mere suspensions were not enough.
Khurshidi demanded legal action and reforms, urging the PPP leadership to stop issuing symbolic condemnations. “This is a test of your credibility,” he said, addressing President Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
History of Collapses
Karachi has a grim record of structural failures. In June 2020, 22 people died in a similar Lyari collapse. Other incidents in Gulbahar, Shah Faisal Colony, and Bhains Colony have claimed dozens of lives over the years.
As rescue workers dig through the debris, families wait with fading hope, calling once again for urgent action against dangerous buildings in the city.
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