In an unbelievably remarkable tale of survival, a 25-year-old man cheated death by a whisker when a five-storey residential building collapsed in Lyari's Baghdadi area earlier this week.
The young man, Rashid, was on the rooftop collecting his tools when the structure gave way — an unexpected twist of fate that saved his life as tons of concrete and debris came crashing down.
"I was retrieving my tools when my family began shouting for me to get out," Rashid recalled. "Seconds after they rushed outside, the entire building collapsed. From the rooftop, I saw the ground swallow our home." From his elevated position, Rashid witnessed the full horror of the disaster. "It was like doomsday," he told The Express Tribune. "I saw bodies crushed beneath the slabs-one with the head stuck in the rubble and the torso hanging out. That image will haunt me forever."
Rashid sustained injuries to his leg during his escape and was treated at the Civil Hospital. Though discharged, he continues to experience severe pain and difficulty walking. "They didn't even give me a prescription," he said, adding that he now relies on friends and relatives to cover his ongoing medical expenses.
Displaced by the collapse, Rashid and his family have temporarily moved to a rented house in Moach Goth. Despite his injuries, he returns to the debris site regularly, hoping to recover his tools so he can resume work as a shutter repair mechanic. "I want to stand on my own feet again. I can't sit idle or wait for help," he added. Rashid revealed that no government official has visited or offered support since the tragedy. His family, like many others affected, remains without any official assistance.
Amid the devastation, Rashid's determination to rebuild his life stands as a quiet testament to resilience and self-reliance. "I survived by chance," he said, "but now I have to survive on my own."
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