27 dead as Lyari building collapse rescue ends after 60 hours

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KARACHI: The search and rescue operation in Lari’s fugitive neighborhood ended on Sunday after almost three days, officials confirmed that 27 people lost their lives in the end of the tragic building.

Assistant Commissioner Shaheer Habib told reporters, “The rescue operation lasted 60 hours and is now complete.”

On Friday, a five -storey residential building collapsed in the decades -old building, which launched a massive rescue operation. The last rites of 20 people were performed as authorities have promised action against those responsible for the tragic incident.

This incident, though tragic, is not an isolated case, as Karachi has seen a repeated sample of the building’s collapse in the past several years.

Habib announced that “actions against all the buildings disqualified in Lyari will begin tomorrow.” Three buildings around him have also been declared dangerous, he said.

“Now the three have now been evacuated and they will be sealed,” he said. According to the Assistant Commissioner, more than 50 dangerous buildings have been identified in Karachi south.

“Residents of these structures are currently living with relatives. Authorities are in the process of developing a strategy to move residents of all unsafe buildings to safe housing.”

Twenty-six bodies-including nine women, 15 men, and a ten-year-old boy and a half-year-old girl were also recovered from the rubble, while another person died of their wounds during treatment.

A high level committee

The Sindh government has constituted a high -level committee to investigate the incident, which was given the task of submitting a report by Monday.

The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) revealed that the collapse structure – which contained more than 40 people in 20 apartments – was 30 years old and was previously declared unsafe.

The authority has claimed that it issued formal notices of the evacuation two years ago, and the latest service was served on June 25, 2025. It was stated that it had also sent notices to K-Electric and Water Board to disconnect utility services-but neither contacts were cut off nor the building was evacuated.

The incident has also highlighted the current threat posed by the SBCA already unsafe and disqualified buildings. The number of such buildings is 578 in Karachi, out of which 456 are in the south only.

Other districts also face danger: Central (66), Kamari (23), Korangi (14), East (13), Malir (4), and West (2).

Verify before purchase

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has expressed deep sorrow over the collapse of the Lyari building, calling it a heartbreaking incident. He told reporters that the government’s priority in all efforts to rescue is to save lives.

Talking to media in Karachi, the Chief Minister said that a committee has been constituted to investigate the incident. He added, “We will review these reports at tomorrow’s meeting.

He also revealed that the building was evacuated last night in Agra Taj, which was built a few years ago without the approval of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA).

The Chief Minister urged the citizens to confirm whether a building had received all necessary approval before buying a flat.

He added that the government is examining the powers of transferring residents of more than 400 ‘dangerous’ buildings to the old city area.

Another building declared unsafe

Although dust was not settled since the collapse of the residential building on Friday, another multi -country complex was declared “unsafe” in the same locality, forcing authorities to issue evacuation orders on Sunday.

In the Agra Taj, police and authorities initially faced resistance to residents, who refused to evacuate the “in any case”.

“Where were the institutions when the building was being built?” Residents questioned, demanding alternative housing before being asked to evacuate the building.

“We’re living in this building, and we don’t feel any danger,” said a residents of the building.

In response, the district administration assured that the affected people would be paid properly by the builder.

The District South Deputy Commissioner said, “We have offered to move the affected people to a school,” said District South Deputy Commissioner, when residents have been urged to evacuate the dilapidated building.

Saying that he had contacted the concerned builder, the officer assured that proper action would be taken against him and he would return the residents.

Authorities also demolished the water tank on the roof, in their bid to persuade residents to evacuate the structure.

According to police, a case has been registered against the builder at the collar police station on the complaint of SBCA Assistant Director.

The attempt to demolish failed

According to police officials, in addition, the alleged mafia members were tried to demolish the department’s heritage building near a coal warehouse in the khardar area.

The suspects allegedly tried to carry out the demolition using heavy machinery during the public holiday, and took advantage of the absence of law enforcement personnel on public holidays.

Residents of the area resisted to demolish, which raised concerns over the safety of the neighboring structure. Locals have reported that the use of heavy machinery caused vibration in the adjoining building, confirmed the claim was later confirmed by police officers, who said the horror resulted in the collapse of the collapse.

In response to the calls of the community, the police arrived at the scene and arrested two suspects. Authorities also seized the machinery used in the operation. However, police added that some of them managed to escape the scene.

The arrested suspects have been shifted to the police station for further investigation. Meanwhile, Lyari’s Assistant Commissioner also arrived at the site to monitor the situation along with police teams.