Seven-storey building collapses in Karachi

KARACHI: A seven-storey building Monday collapsed in Karachi’s Moosa Colony, days after the structure got damaged following rainfall in the city, ARY NEWS reported.

The seven-storey structure was built on 40 square-yard land and got titled after rainfall in the city. “The building was vacated timely prior to its collapse, avoiding any loss of life,” the additional inspector general of police (AIG) Karachi said.

Moreover, the police and rescue officials rushed to the incident site and cordoned off the area and worked with authorities to clear the area from the building’s debris.

Karachi has witnessed multiple incidents of building collapse owing to negligence of the civic authorities who have kept mum over the construction of multiple-storey structures in the metropolitan without government approval.

The Sindh government in May this year decided to launch a crackdown against illegal structures during a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput. The meeting was also attended by Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and concerned officials.

The meeting was briefed on encroachments, and illegal and dangerous structures. Officials from Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) briefed the meeting that 545 buildings in Karachi are dangerous, while 6,000 illegal buildings exist.

The SBCA officials further stated that the authorities have sealed almost 21 illegal buildings. During the meeting, the officials were directed to evacuate the ‘most dangerous’ buildings before the monsoon.

Speaking on the occasion, Nasir Hussain Shah assured that alternative accommodation will be provided to the people living in dangerous.