Karachi building collapse: death toll rises to 14, search continues

Rescue teams pulled much bodies from the rubble of a five-storey building illness successful Pakistan’s Karachi overnight, taking the toll connected Saturday (July 5, 2025) to 14 arsenic the betterment cognition continued for a 2nd day.

The residential artifact crumbled soon aft 10:00 americium connected Friday (July 4) successful the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was erstwhile plagued by pack unit and considered 1 of the astir unsafe areas successful Pakistan.

Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, starring the government's 1122 rescue work astatine the scene, told AFP the cognition continued done the nighttime "without interruption".

"It whitethorn instrumentality 8 to 12 hours much to complete," helium said.

Police authoritative Summiaya Syed, astatine a Karachi infirmary wherever the bodies were received, told AFP that the decease toll connected Saturday greeting stood astatine 14, fractional of them women, with 13 injured.

Up to 100 radical had been surviving successful the building, elder constabulary serviceman Arif Aziz told AFP.

All six members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari's household were astatine his level connected the archetypal level erstwhile helium near for enactment aboriginal successful the morning.

"Nothing is near for maine present -- my household is each trapped and each I tin bash is commune for their harmless recovery," helium told AFP connected Friday afternoon.

Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, said her brother's household was besides trapped nether the rubble.

"It's a calamity for us. The satellite has been changed for our family," she told AFP. "We are helpless and conscionable looking astatine the rescue workers to bring our loved ones backmost safely."

Shankar Kamho, 30, a nonmigratory of the gathering who was retired astatine the time, said astir 20 families were surviving inside. He described however his woman called him successful a panic that the gathering was cracking. I told her to get retired immediately," helium told AFP astatine the scene.

"She went to pass the neighbours, but 1 pistillate told her 'this gathering volition basal for astatine slightest 10 much years'," helium said. "Still, my woman took our girl and left. About 20 minutes later, the gathering collapsed."