Braving blistering heat and choking humidity, rescue teams in Karachi’s Lyari toiled around the clock on Saturday, racing against time to pull survivors from the rubble of a collapsed building that claimed 23 lives – a tragedy that has kept the impoverished area on edge for over 40 hours.
Authorities said the building had been declared unsafe and eviction notices were sent to occupants over three years, but landlords and some residents said there was no such notice.
Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled around 10:00 am on Friday in Lyari.
The death toll stood at 23 on Saturday, with 13 injured, according to Summiaya Syed, a police surgeon for the provincial health department.
“My daughter is under the rubble,” 54-year-old Dev Raj told AFP at the scene. “She was my beloved daughter. She was so sensitive but is under the burden of debris. She got married just 6 months ago.”
Rescue teams worked throughout the night, and families said that at least eight people were still believed to be trapped as temperatures climbed to 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday morning.
A senior district government official, Javed Nabi Khoso, said that notices had been served in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to occupants.
“We don’t want to impose our orders by force. We work in phases and send them notices to leave the building. They didn’t take the notices seriously,” he told AFP. But Imran Khaskheli, an owner and resident watching the rescue operation on Saturday, denied receiving notices. “Do you think we are out of our senses to stay in an unsafe building with our families?” he said.
He told AFP he had seen cracks in the pillars of the building early on Friday morning. “I knocked on all the doors and asked families to leave immediately,” he said, adding that around 40 families lived in the building but that many did not heed his warning.
More than 50 buildings in the district have been declared unsafe, with six evacuated since yesterday, according to Khoso.
Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, leading the government’s 1122 rescue service at the scene, told AFP the operation was expected to continue into Saturday evening.
Many of the victims are believed to be women, who are more likely to be at home during the day.
All six members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari’s family were in their first-floor apartment when he left for work early in the morning.
“Nothing is left for me now—my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery,” he said on Friday. Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, told AFP her brother’s family was also trapped under the rubble. “It’s a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family,” she said. “We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.”
Shankar Kamho, a 30-year-old resident, was out at the time when his wife called to say the building was cracking. “I told her to get out immediately,” he told AFP. “She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her ‘this building will stand for at least 10 more years’,” he said. “Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.”
Hindu-Muslim unity amid devastation
Anguished cries echoed through the narrow lanes of Lyari’s Baghdadi area as grief, despair and a desperate search for survivors continued on Saturday.
Families dug through the rubble in search of their loved ones, clinging to hope amid the devastation.
Scenes of profound sorrow were met with a powerful display of interfaith unity-Muslim and Hindu residents standing side by side, offering aid, prayers, and comfort to the bereaved.
Volunteers have set up a relief camp near the site to assist primarily women who have been left without shelter. The camp is providing food, water, and emotional support to the bereaved.
Amid the tragedy, a heartening display of interfaith unity emerged, with members of both the Muslim and Hindu communities standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity.
Heart-wrenching scenes continue to unfold near the site, where mothers and sisters can be seen searching through debris, crying out the names of their missing loved ones. One distraught woman told reporters that five members of her family were still missing-Rohit, Mihoor, her daughters-in-law Manesha and Geeta, and her sister-in-law. “I sat by the rubble all night,” she said. “I am still hoping someone will come out alive.”
In what rescuers called a miraculous moment, a three-month-old baby girl was pulled out alive from the debris-injured, but breathing-bringing a flicker of joy amid the grief.
Mai Shamji, a resident of the area, said her brother Harshi lost his entire family in the tragedy. She confirmed that her two sons, two daughters-in-law, her brother’s wife, and her infant granddaughter were all among the victims. The death of her youngest son, Prantik, has been confirmed. “Mihoor had been married for just six months,” said Mai Shamji. “All their belongings were destroyed, including the dowry-but none of that matters. We just want our loved ones back.”
At the hospital, families of the deceased and the missing have gathered, offering prayers for recovery and hoping against hope for the survival of those still trapped.
Local officials and rescue teams continue to clear the debris, while also making arrangements for temporary shelters and food distribution for the displaced families.
Many individuals who perished in the collapse belonged to the Kutchi Maheshwari Meghwar Hindu community, officials and community leaders confirmed.
According to community representatives, over 20 Hindu residents had been living in the ill-fated building. Rescue teams fear that at least five more people may still be trapped under the rubble.
On Saturday evening, rescue workers recovered the bodies of 25-year-old Maheshwari youth Rohit and his wife Geeta, raising the death toll of Hindu victims to 16. The deceased will not be cremated but instead buried at the old Hindu cemetery in Mowachh Goth, in keeping with the burial customs of the Kutchi Maheshwari community.
Their final rites and antim sanskar (last rituals) will be held at Old Kumharwara Kutchi Hall.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Maharaj Ram Nath, the Gaddi Pati (head priest) of Shri Panchmukhi Hanuman Mandir, said he was deeply saddened by the tragic incident.
“We share the grief of the bereaved families,” he said, appealing to the government to provide alternative housing and immediate support for the victims’ families. (With input from AFP)
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