At least seven people died and eight were injured after a five -story building collapsed in the Lyari area of Karachi on Friday, said Mayor Murtaza Wahab.
In statements to journalists at the site of the incident, Wahab said: “According to reliable reports so far, seven people have [lost their lives]whose bodies have been taken to the hospital, and we have managed to save eight people. “
Today’s incident occurs days after a part of a building collapsed in the city’s Kharadar area. However, no victims or injuries were reported.
The Public Accounts Committee of the Sindh Assembly had ordered the provincial government in December to take urgent measures to evacuate more than 570 buildings declared “dangerous” by the Karachi authorities.
The rescue efforts were underway in the building located in Fida Hussain Shaikha Road in the Baghdadi neighborhood of Lyari, according to a statement from the Baghdad Police.
Pakistan Rangers, in a statement, said that his staff was also helping in rescue operations and “dedicated himself to rescuing people trapped under the rubble.”
When visiting the location, Wahab said that the government needs to “take measures”, noting that there were around 434 buildings in the area of the old city that have been declared “dangerous” by the control authority of Buildings of Sindh (SBCA).
“We have two options: convince people to move or force them to evacuate,” Wahab said, adding that any government tries not to take any forced action but to convince people.
“This loss of lives today shows that when the State or the government tells you something, you must follow it.”
The mayor asked the inhabitants of such ruins to evacuate as soon as possible to avoid any unpleasant incident and loss of lives or properties.
The deceased included three men and two women, according to a list of patients issued today by the Trauma Institute (SMBBIT) of the Karachi Civil Hospital (CHK).
The injured included four men, two women and a teenager. Five of the injured had “minor injuries,” said SMBBIT executive director, Dr. Muhammad knows Memon Dawn.com.
The victims included Fatima Babu and Hoor Bai, both 55 years old, Prantic Arsi, 21, Prem, 32 years old and Waseem Babu, 35.
The injured were listed as Kishna Jumna Das, 17, Rashid Aziz, 25, Womenb Ali, 29, Santia Chaitan, 30, and Chanda Jumma Lal, Ghulam Hussain, 45, and Yousaf Subhan, 50 years old.
Saad Edhi of the Edhi Foundation described the structure for AFP as a “worn building”.
Police officer Arif Aziz said AFP that up to 100 people had been living in the building.
The local government minister of Sindh, Saeed Ghani, regretted that residents did not evacuate the building despite receiving notices previously due to the insecure conditions of the deteriorated structure.
Speaking to journalists at the site of the incident, Ghani said: “They were not given many but many notices (residents) to evacuate the building. But I can also understand the struggle of citizens.
“[…] On the one hand, there is your home where you reside, [but] On the other hand, his life is, ”he added, urging residents of other ruins to evacuate to avoid any disaster.
“If we make them evacuate them by force, then there is also a humanitarian aspect, and we have to become a criticism goal,” said the minister.
Taking note of the incident in a statement, Ghani ordered the senior officials of the relevant authorities, including the SBCA, to reach the site of the incident to monitor rescue efforts.
“A report on the causes of the building collapse and all its reasons must be presented immediately,” he said in the statement issued by his media consultant, Zubair Memon.
“All obstacles around the building must be eliminated to accelerate the rescue operation,” Ghani added.
In April, a 10 -year -old girl died when a three -story building in the Bhains colony suddenly collapsed, while a man and a woman were taken alive from the rubble.
The ceiling and construction collapses are common throughout Pakistan, mainly due to poor safety standards and the use of poor quality construction materials.
But Karachi, home of more than 20 m, is especially known for poor construction, illegal extensions, aging infrastructure, overcrowding and lax application of construction regulations.
More than 100 people on the site: Rescue 1122
Sindh Rescue 1122 General Director (DG) Abid Jaluddin Shaikh, in a statement, said that the service and central control center of the service received an alert from the incident at 10:53 am
“As soon as the alert was received, the urban search and rescue team, together with a disaster response vehicle (DRV), immediately reached the site of the incident,” said the 1122 DG rescue.
He explained that more than 100 rescue personnel, five DRV, two snorkeling and multiple ambulances were present in the building of the building. The cranes and lifters have also been sent to the site, added DG Shaikh.
He explained that there were obstacles during the rescue operation due to the “rebel crowd, several road blocks and mobile networks [issues]”
Mobile services are generally suspended in certain areas due to security problems during Muharram.
Rescue head 1122 said the operation would continue until the site was “clear.”
Sindh cm seeks report
Taking note of the incident, Sindh’s prime minister Murad Ali Shah ordered that rescue teams immediately rescue those trapped under the rubble, while immediate medical assistance is provided to the injured.
“This is an unfortunate incident; the concerned authorities must submit an immediate report,” said CM Murad in a statement by his spokesman Abdul Rashid Channa.
CM Murad also looked for details of ruins in Karachi of the SBCA.
“Dangerous buildings must be identified immediately and practical measures should be taken to protect citizens,” said CM Murad. “Negligence will not be tolerated; the protection of human life is the highest priority.”
The governor of Sindh, Kamran Tessori, expressed his pain for the incident and ordered the rescue authorities to perform “immediate, effective and coordinated help operations.”
In a statement, he ordered that all the resources available to safely rescue those trapped under the rubble safely, and that “all possible facilities” are provided to the affected families.
“Any type of negligence or carelessness will be intolerable,” Tessori warned.
President, pm stress that avoids such future incidents
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed a deep pain and pain for the incident, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
In separate statements, the president and the prime minister offered his “more sincere condolences and sympathies” to the family members of those who lost their lives.
Praying for the rapid recovery of the injured, President Zardari ordered the government of Sindh to accelerate the help efforts and immediately rescue those trapped under the rubble.
The president also ordered that the causes of the incident be determined immediately and that effective measures to avoid such incidents in the future would be implemented.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also issued directives that all possible medical facilities are provided to the injured.
“Such incidents must be prevented in the future formulating a strategy in a priority,” said Prime Minister.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, president of the PPP who governs Sindh, transmitted their condolences to harmed families and wished the injured a rapid recovery.
“I assure [the public] that the Sindh government will provide all assistance [needed]”Bilawal said in a statement shared by his party.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Vice President Ghulam Mustafa Shah also expressed their condolences.
This is a development story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial media reports can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to guarantee punctuality and precision by relying on credible sources, such as qualified and worried authorities and our staff reporters.
ADDITION OF AFP
