Director General of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), Ishaq Khuhro, has revealed that the residential building which collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari area was over 50 years old and in a dilapidated condition.
At least 7 people were dead and several injured in the tragic incident so far as the rescue and search operation is still underway.
Following the tragic incident, a technical committee and demolition team from SBCA arrived at the site. Khuhro stated that the building likely predates 1979 and authorities are now verifying whether it was among the 526 declared hazardous structures in Karachi.
He added that dangerous buildings are routinely surveyed and publicly listed via newspaper advertisements, urging evacuation.
According to the SBCA DG, the collapsed building and surrounding structures are now under technical inspection. He confirmed that around 50 buildings in Lyari alone are considered structurally unsound.
SBCA has already conducted surveys of buildings in Karachi and Hyderabad and evacuated several high-risk structures in Lyari. “Only the technical team can determine how exactly a 50-year-old building collapsed,” Khuhro said.
The tragic incident occurred in the Baghdadi area of Lyari, where a six-storey residential building came crashing down. So far, seven people have been confirmed dead and eight others— including three women—have been injured. Rescue teams are still working to pull victims from the rubble.
The collapse also damaged nearby buildings, with visible cracks prompting authorities to evacuate adjacent residents.