Building collapse death toll shoots to 19 as 13 more bodies dug up

The death toll of Sunday’s building collapse in Lyari spiked to 19 on Tuesday after rescuers unearthed 13 more bodies from under the rubble during an ongoing search and rescue operation to recover the victims. The five-storey residential building had collapsed in Kalri, leaving its residents trapped under debris.

Some of the residents are reportedly still under the rubble as fears of the number of those dead and injured in the incident rising continues to loom large. The rescue operation continued for a third day, during which bodies of 13 more people were pulled out from under the rubble. So far 19 bodies and six injured have been recovered from the debris.

“The rescuers have so far recovered 19 bodies,” South Zone DIG Sharjeel Kharal confirmed while talking to The News. “The search and rescue operation is still under way.”

On the first day, rescuers had found the body of a woman from under the debris, while another five were recovered on the second day of the search and rescue operation. However, the rescuers retrieved 13 more — the highest yet — on the third day.

Rescuers said that on Tuesday, they recovered a total of 13 bodies, including those of three women. Those who had been identified by the time this report was filed included Shahnaz Shafi, 45, Saeed Shafi, 26, Shahzad Shafi, 20, Memona Saeed, 25, Kaleem Ahmed, 60, his son Saleem, 30, Taufeeq Rafiq, 50, Shaukat Ishaq, 28, and Bihar Jahangir, 25.

Bodies of 12 men, six women and a minor boy have so far been dug up. Around 200 people used to live in the building, but a majority of them had already left it, while some families living on the two floors had not vacated it.

Army engineers, Rangers soldiers and police officials have been using heavy machinery to lift heavy concrete slabs to recover the people buried under the building’s rubble.

Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) officials said the five-storey building was 25 to 30 years old and in a very bad shape. They said the structure had been erected on a 400-square-yard plot and they had asked the occupants to evacuate prior to the collapse.

They added that the residents had been issued multiple notices to leave the building due to its dilapidated condition, but many refused to pay heed, while the reason for the collapse and a conclusive answer to how many people might be stuck under the debris remained undetermined.

Strict action

Sindh’s information and local government minister said the provincial government will not allow anyone to play with the lives of citizens, as no compromise will be made on precious human lives, and strict action will be taken against corrupt officers and those behind illegal constructions, adds our correspondent.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah chaired an important meeting at the Karachi commissioner’s office with Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani, DIG Maqsood Memon, SBCA Director General Naseem-ul-Ghani, deputy commissioners, East Municipal Commissioner Waseem Somroo, and representatives of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, cantonment boards and Pakistan Rangers.

The commissioner briefed the minister that the SBCA has issued notices to residents of dangerous buildings for immediate evacuation. The SBCA DG informed the minister that most of the dangerous buildings are in old city areas, and a few of them have been declared heritage buildings.

The minister said the Lyari incident is very painful and has made everyone sad. He said the provincial government cannot risk the lives of citizens for anything, so illegal constructions should be stopped immediately.

He instructed the SBCA DG to take strict action against the officers involved in issuing illegal approvals, warning that no official or builder should hope for any leniency in such matters.

Shah said that an FIR should be lodged against the builders involved in constructing illegal portions, adding that the district administration, the SBCA and the police will jointly start an operation against the violators.

He ordered forming a vigilance committee in every district of the city to identify dangerous and illegal buildings in their respective areas. He said that every committee will comprise representatives from the relevant district municipal corporation, the SBCA, the Karachi Development Authority and the police.

Later, the minister told the media that 422 buildings have been declared dangerous in Karachi, 55 of which belong to the heritage department. He said that action against illegal portions and buildings will continue, adding that efforts to establish an SBCA court are also under way.

He said the sewerage system of Lyari is being improved on a priority basis, while the Jameela pumping station is also being made operational. He added that the relevant deputy commissioner will head the vigilance committee.

Shah said that the disaster management department will be empowered to fight uncertain situations. He said the practice of digging wells decreases the water level, which is dangerous for buildings and other infrastructure. He directed the SBCA to update the list of illegal buildings in the city and take strict action against all encroachers.

MQM-P slams SBCA

Showing their grief over the human and financial loss in the Lyari building collapse, members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s coordination committee said on Tuesday that the irresponsible attitude and criminal negligence of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) had been costing Karachi’s residents their lives.

“Despite the passage of two days, the government could not rescue the residents from the rubble of the collapsed building. It shows the provincial government’s incompetence,” the coordination committee members said in a statement.

They said that since its inception, the SBCA had allowed illegal constructions, and the Sindh government had left the city’s residents at the mercy of the corrupt officers of the department. “In the past six months, three buildings have collapsed in the city’s various localities, killing and injuring dozens of people.”

The MQM-P’s coordination committee said the government allocated billions of rupees in the budget in the name of disaster management, “but when any incident or mishap happens, only charity organisations are seen in rescue activities, and no one sees the provincial government or its disaster management body”.

The provincial government had taken municipal powers from the city’s elected local government bodies, but it was not performing its own responsibilities, they said and demanded of the government to pay compensation to people who were killed and injured in the building collapse and to activate the provincial disaster management authority. They also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured people.