Two sisters killed as 6th floor roof of Lyari building collapses

• Roof of sixth floor crashed onto fifth.
• Rescue efforts launched soon after incident.
• Bodies, injured shifted to trauma centre.

KARACHI: In another deadly incident in the metropolis, two women lost their lives and three others were injured when the roof of a residential building collapsed in the overcrowded inner-city Lyari area on Thursday.

The unfortunate incident comes less than two weeks after a multi-storey residential building collapsed in the same area, killing 27 and injuring several others.

Lyari is among those areas where many working-class and poor families live in ageing apartment blocks.

According to police officials, the incident occurred in the Khadda Market area of Lyari, where the roof of the sixth floor gave way, crashing down onto the fifth floor below. Rescue operations were launched immediately after the incident was reported.

DIG South confirmed that police teams reached the site promptly and began rescue work, transferring the victims to Civil Hospital Karachi. Hospital authorities at the trauma centre also confirmed receiving two bodies and three injured individuals.

Police added that the two women who died were sisters, and the three injured included their daughters. Emergency responders managed to retrieve the bodies and rushed the wounded to the hospital for medical care.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of lives due to the roof collapse.

In a statement, the chief minister said he was deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives and extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased women. He also directed that the injured be provided with the best possible medical care without delay.

CM Shah called for a thorough investigation into the incident and asked the Karachi commissioner to submit a detailed report. He instructed the Sindh Building Control Authority to take immediate action against all dangerous and dilapidated buildings in the city.

Emphasising the value of human life, he ordered that structural assessments of buildings be carried out without delay. The chief minister further directed that all hazardous buildings, including those in Lyari and across Karachi, be evacuated immediately.

He assured the affected families that the Sindh government would provide all possible support. Additionally, he warned that no negligence in rescue and relief operations would be tolerated.

The incident also sheds light on the existing threat posed by buildings already declared unsafe and unfit for habitation by the Sindh Building Control Authority (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).