Karachi Building Collapse: Survivors Grapple with Loss

In Karachi’s Baghdadi area of Lyari, individuals who survived the building collapse that claimed 27 lives are now facing the daunting task of rebuilding their lives after losing both their loved ones and their homes.

The five-story structure crumbled on Friday in Lyari, a densely populated inner-city neighborhood characterized by aging apartment buildings housing many working-class and impoverished families. The location is now a chaotic mix of distorted metal, broken concrete, and personal items, including textbooks, footwear, and sewing equipment.

On Monday, rescue teams announced that the death toll had climbed to 27. Numerous individuals are being accommodated in temporary shelters following the collapse and the subsequent evacuation of adjacent buildings due to concerns about their structural integrity.

“I was raised in that building, and I was acquainted with every resident,” stated Imdad Hussain, a 28-year-old fisherman who lost neighbors, childhood companions, and seven members of his extended family.

He is currently residing with relatives, and the family is in mourning as they contemplate their future. “We have lost both our residence and our family. I am uncertain how we will begin anew,” he lamented.

Authorities in Karachi, the Sindh province’s capital, indicated that the building had been issued multiple evacuation notices since 2023, the most recent of which was issued in late June.

Saeed Ghani, the Provincial Minister of Sindh for Local Governments, stated that the Karachi commissioner, who is in charge of the city administration, has been assigned the responsibility of inspecting 51 buildings deemed “extremely dangerous” to prevent similar disasters.

Residents reported that the Lyari building, which has housed generations of working-class families of minority and migrant backgrounds, experienced intense shaking on Friday before collapsing in a cloud of dust.

Since Friday, rescue personnel had been sifting through the rubble. The search was officially called off late on Sunday.

They stated that approximately 100 residents from 12 families had been residing in the building and that almost 50 additional families had been displaced after three adjacent buildings were deemed unsafe and evacuated.

Lakshmi, a school custodian who resided next door to the collapsed structure, mentioned that her sister, who resided in the building that collapsed, contacted her moments before the incident to report that it was shaking.

Her sister survived, but Lakshmi was concerned about losing the gold she had entrusted to her for safekeeping prior to her daughter’s wedding.

“We escaped with our lives, but everything else is gone, and we are uncertain of what the future holds,” Lakshmi stated.