Karachi Building Collapse Kills 15, Rescue Continues Amid Unsafe Structures

A five-storey residential building collapsed on July 4, 2025, in the impoverished Lyari neighborhood of Karachi, resulting in at least 15 deaths and numerous injuries as rescue operations continued into the second day. The building, housing around 40 to 100 people in 20 apartments, was over 30 years old and had been declared structurally unsafe months prior, with evacuation notices issued in early 2025 that residents resisted. Rescue workers, using heavy machinery and heartbeat detection devices, faced challenges including interference from distressed relatives, prompting deployment of Rangers and city wardens to secure the site. Officials, including Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi and Sindh Minister Saeed Ghani, acknowledged the tragedy and the failure to enforce evacuations, with a high-level committee established to investigate the incident. Authorities urged residents in other dilapidated buildings to relocate voluntarily to prevent further casualties, though forcible eviction remains off the table. The operation aimed to recover survivors and bodies, with six to seven people still believed trapped under the rubble as of the latest reports.