At least three people, including two minor children, lost their lives while several others sustained injuries in two separate incidents of structural collapse reported from different neighbourhoods of the metropolis on Saturday and Sunday.
The tragedies have once again raised rampant concerns over the condition of ageing and unsafe buildings in the city.
The first incident occurred in Street No 5 of Lyari's Moosa Colony, where the roof of a third-floor apartment gave way, burying residents beneath the rubble. As per rescuers, 45-year-old Danish and his three-year-old daughter Almiya died on the spot, while five others — including Danish's 11-year-old daughter Ayaan, 12-year-old son Danish Jr, 4-year-old Zubaida, 30-year-old Beenish, and 30-year-old Kashif — were injured.
Edhi Foundation volunteers rushed to the site and started rescue operations, later shifting the deceased and the injured to Civil Hospital.
Eyewitnesses and area residents said the building was in a dilapidated state, but families continued to reside there owing to financial hardship. A local resident, Qadir, told reporters that the floor of the uppermost storey collapsed onto the drawing room of the flat on the third floor, where several family members were gathered at the time of the incident.
In another tragic episode, a two-year-old boy died and his father and elder brother were injured when a wall from an adjacent building collapsed onto their cement-sheet roof in Manzoor Colony. Chhipa Foundation rescuers shifted the body of the deceased child, identified as Hasan, to JPMC for medico-legal formalities. His father, 40-year-old Rizwan, and six-year-old brother, Muhammad Hussain, were also injured and are currently receiving medical treatment.
According to Chhipa officials, the wall that caved in belonged to a neighbouring structure and fell directly onto the roof of the affected house.
Mazhar Kango, SHO of Baloch Colony police station, confirmed the incident and said that preliminary investigation suggested the collapse was triggered by the weakened condition of the external wall. A formal inquiry is under way.
Electrocutions
Brother of PPP leader Javed Nagori's younger brother Abdullah Nagori suffered a fatal shock at his lounge, while an unidentified man died of electrocution near a private hospital in the remits of Boat Basin police station.
Abdullah Nagori, the brother of PPP Karachi's General Secretary Javed Nagori, was laid to rest at Miran Naka Cemetery after his accidental electrocution in Lyari's Khadda Market. The funeral prayer was held at Eid Gah Comprehensive Mosque, led by family members and party officials. PPP Karachi President Saeed Ghani, PPP Deputy Secretary Information Karachi Asif Khan, MNAs Qadir Patel and Agha Rafiullah, town and UC chairmen, party officials, workers, and family members attended the funeral.
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