KARACHI: At least three people were killed on Monday as a three-storey building collapsed in Malir’s Jaffar Tayyar Society, ARY News reported.
The local people were engaged in relief activities retrieving injured from the debris of the building on self-help basis as the emergency agencies personnel failed to reach at the spot in the metropolis even after three hours of the incident.
Three bodies including two women said to be retrieved from the rubble of the collapsed structure. Two families were residing in the building and around 10 to 12 people likely to be trapped under the debris, according to the people of the locality.
Heavy machinery to remove the debris could not reach the spot urgently.
Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the incident and ordered the Commissioner Karachi to supervise the relief and rescue operation.
The chief minister has also called a detailed report about the incident.
Talking to ARY News, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani said that the personnel of rescue agencies and police have been present at the scene. He said the debris of a collapsed structure could be removed under a standard procedure, it could not be set aside haphazardly.
He said the authorities are trying to remove the rubble in a way to retrieve all people trapped under the debris.
The commissioner said the building was constructed around 20 to 25 years ago. The narrow alleys of the neighborhood are causing hurdle for heavy machinery to access the spot, he added.
The Army’s engineering corps personnel reached at the collapsed structure of the building with heavy machinery to remove the debris.
A child in school uniform retrieved live from the building’s debris, according to the rescue sources. Five injured persons including a boy have been transferred to hospital for medical attendance.
