Three injured as building tilts

SBCA blamed for allowing construction despite repeated complaints

KARACHI:

An under-construction building suddenly tilted with its ground floor sinking in the ground completely in Ahsanabad Eastern Society. Several labourers, trapped inside the building, were rescued. Three of them sustained injuries.

Debris from the upper floors of the tilted building fell onto a nearby house and a vehicle parked in the street, causing significant damages.

The incident occurred on a commercial plot, RS-24 in the society, where construction on a four-storey building was ongoing. Area people immediately informed the police and rescue teams who responded and reached the scene and rescued the workers trapped inside the building.

The injured workers were identified as Ammar, Zeeshan, and Shahid. They were promptly shifted to the hospital for medical care. Rescue teams cordoned off the area and prevented unauthorised individuals from approaching the dangerous building.

The owner of the nearby damaged house, Muhammad Adil, spoke to the media, stating that after the construction of three floors, concerns were raised about the substandard materials being used. Despite these warnings, the building owner, Irfan, continued the construction. Adil mentioned that even the building's painter had noticed shaking in the structure three days before the incident, after which the work was halted temporarily. However, construction resumed, and the material continued to be delivered and installed overnight. Residents reported the matter to the Society and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), requesting the construction to be stopped, but no action was taken.

Four floors of the building were completed and work was in progress for the penthouse on the fifth floor when the building began to tilt.

Adil mentioned that the falling debris damaged his house and car, and he called for compensation for his losses. Other residents also raised concerns, saying that substandard steel was used in the building's construction, which likely caused the ground floor to sink.

Muhammad Asif, another resident of the society, claimed that multiple complaints were made regarding the construction, but they fell on deaf ears and owner continued with the construction.

Meanwhile, an SBCA spokesperson reported that, following the instructions of the Director General, a team from the building control authority had visited the site, sealed the building, and was conducting a detailed inspection of the structure.