Lyari Building Collapse: Funeral Prayers Held as Search Continues

Following the tragic building collapse in Lyari’s Baghdadi area, funeral prayers were conducted late Saturday for 20 of the 27 individuals who perished. The Edhi Foundation spokesperson confirmed that efforts to locate any remaining individuals believed to be trapped beneath the debris stretched into their third day.

Rescue teams have, to date, retrieved 26 bodies from the wreckage, including nine women, 15 men, a ten-year-old boy, and an infant girl of approximately one and a half years old. Hospital sources have verified that three injured individuals were receiving medical care, however, one has since passed away, raising the final death toll to 27.

All recovered bodies have been transported to the Mowach Goth Maheshwari graveyard in Baldia for interment.

Heavy equipment is being utilized to facilitate the removal of rubble. Rescue personnel are also employing specialized ‘Trapped Person Locators,’ devices designed to detect heartbeats emanating from beneath the debris, in hopes of finding survivors.

Earlier in the week, the Sindh government established a high-ranking committee tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the collapse. This committee is expected to present its findings by Monday.

The decades-old building, situated in a densely populated area of Karachi, reportedly housed over 40 residents within its 20 apartments. It collapsed on Friday, trapping many under the resulting debris.

The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has stated that the collapsed structure was 30 years old and had previously been designated as unsafe. They assert that formal evacuation orders were issued two years prior, with the most recent notice served on June 25, 2025. The SBCA further stated that notifications were sent to both K-Electric and the Water Board requesting disconnection of utility services; however, these disconnections were never implemented, and the building remained occupied.

Providing an update on the ongoing search operations, a rescue official stated on Sunday that approximately 80% of the debris had been cleared. However, it is feared that three additional individuals may still be buried within the rubble.

“On two separate occasions, substantial amounts of cash were discovered during the operation and subsequently returned to the appropriate parties,” the official noted. He also added that approximately 50 rickshaws were buried beneath the debris.

This unfortunate incident is part of a larger pattern of building collapses in Karachi since 2017.

These deadly events are often attributed to illegal or poorly maintained buildings, many of which have been officially declared unsafe but continue to be occupied due to lax enforcement by the SBCA.

The incident highlights the existing dangers posed by buildings deemed unsafe for habitation by the SBCA. Currently, 578 such buildings exist in Karachi, with 456 located in District South alone.

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

The SBCA maintains that it issued evacuation notices in the past and sent disconnections requests to utility providers, but the building was not vacated.