KARACHI   -   Two people were killed and 10 others were injured after a double storey residential building collapsed near Bihar Colony in Lyari’s Koyla Godam on Sunday morning, according to police. Rescue teams have been immediately called in. The bodies and injured people are being shifted to a hospital.

City Senior Superintendent of Police Muquddus Haider said that there were godowns on the ground floor and residential rooms in the second storey that were mostly occupied by labourers.

Haider said that the structure of the building appeared to be faulty, which was further weakened due to construction activity on the adjacent plot.

“It appeared to be criminal negligence of the owners of both, the building and the plot, as well as that contractor that caused this tragedy and an FIR would be registered against them,” he declared.

The injured residents as well as the deceased were taken to the Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. A first information report against the owners and builders of the collapsed building and the neighbouring plot was filed on behalf of the State. Karachi Commissioner Sohail Rajput, who visited the site after the incident with South Deputy Commissioner Irshad Sodhar, said that the building may have collapsed due to construction activity that was going on in an adjacent plot which may have harmed its “old structure”.

DC Sodhar said that the 30-room building, of which a portion collapsed today, was being razed by the SBCA for the safety of people. District commissioners have been directed to identify and evacuate buildings that were at risk of collapsing in order to avoid further such incidents. “They (DCs) have been further instructed to take legal action against all ongoing construction in the city happening without due process of approval from relevant agencies,” Rajput said.

Earlier, speaking on the collapse of the building, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail had called for fixing responsibility for the casualties and damages.

“Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has been a nightmare for Karachi. We need to redesign our strategy for SBCA, this is not working at all,” he tweeted. President of PTI Karachi chapter and member Sindh Assembly Khurram Sher Zaman termed the incident “saddening” and called for speeding up of the rescue operation.

Officers of the SBCA who have shown carelessness should be arrested, he said, adding that the authority had become an ATM for the Sindh government.

“The Sindh government should be ashamed of the frequent incidents resulting in the loss of lives,” he said.

Zaman also directed volunteers of the Tiger Force to help with rescue work.

Sindh CM takes notice of building collapse

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday taking notice of the two-storey building collapsed in Lyari, directed the Commissioner Karachi to ensure proper treatment of the injured and support the families who lost their dear ones in the tragedy. Syed Murad Ali Shah directed the Commissioner Karachi to conduct a detailed inquiry and report him. 

“I want to decide the fate of all vulnerable buildings once for all,” he said and added those responsible for allowing substandard construction and illegal buildings must be brought to book,” he said. The Chief Minister said that it was quite painful to hear the incidents of building collapses and loss of lives.