Building collapse crisis looms in Karachi
A five-storey building in Karachi’s Lyari area collapsed in the first week of this month, killing 27 people — men and women of all ages — and injuring about a dozen others. It took rescue teams more than 50 hours to complete the operation, amid reports of poor coordination among the various agencies involved. As public outrage grew over the failure of building regulators and civic watchdogs, Sindh chief minister announced that a detailed inquiry had been launched and those responsible would be brought to justice. However, by the time of writing this piece, there was no official update on the findings or actions taken, apart from the suspension of two Building Control officials. Lyari has suffered similar tragedies before: in 2011 and 2020, two major collapses killed 55 people in total, with sporadic incidents reported in other years. Authorities have, from time to time, declared some 480 buildings in Karachi’s old city areas as dangerous or unfit for living, issuing repeated evacua...