KARACHI: The funeral rites of 20 victims who perished in the building collapse in Lyari’s Baghdadi area, were offered late on Saturday night as the search operation entered third day with at least three people said to be still buried under the rubble, a spokesperson of the Edhi foundation said on Sunday.
So far, the rescuers have recovered 26 bodies — including 15 men, nine women, and a ten-year boy and one-and-half-year-old girl — from the rubble, whereas three people are undergoing treatment, as per the hospital administration.
All bodies recovered have been sent to Mowach Goth Maheshwari graveyard in Baldia for burial.
Heavy machinery was employed to clear the debris while the rescue personnel used the Trapped Person Locator — a device that detects heartbeats under rubble — to identify survivors.
Earlier, the Sindh government formed a high-level committee to investigate the incident, tasked with submission of a report by Monday.
The decades-old building located in the densely populated Karachi neighbourhood that housed over 40 people in 20 apartments crumbled on Friday — leaving dozens trapped under the debris.
The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) revealed that the collapsed structure was 30 years old and had been previously marked unsafe.
The authority claimed it had issued formal evacuation notices two years ago, and the latest was served on 25 June 2025. It said it had also sent notices to K-Electric and the water board to disconnect utility services — but neither the connections were cut nor was the building vacated.
Providing details of the ongoing search operation, a rescue officer said on Sunday that 80% of the debris removal work had been completed, but three more people may still be buried under the rubble.
“Large sum of money was found twice during the operation, which was handed over to the parties concerned,” he said. Moreover, 50 rickshaws were also buried under the rubble, he added.
The incident, though unfortunate, is not a one-off accident as Karachi has witnessed a pattern of building collapses since 2017.
The deadly incidents are largely linked to illegal and dilapidated buildings, many of which have long been declared unsafe but remain occupied due to weak implementation by the SBCA.
The incident also sheds light on the existing threat posed by buildings already declared unsafe and unfit for habitation by the SBCA. The number of such buildings stands at 578 in Karachi, with 456 of them being in the District South alone.
Other districts also face risk: Central (66), Keamari (23), Korangi (14), East (13), Malir (4), and West (2).
The SBCA has claimed that it issued formal evacuation notices two years ago, and on 25 June 2025, also sent notices to K-Electric and the Water Board to disconnect utility services — but neither the connections were cut nor was the building vacated.
