Death toll in building collapse rises to two

Karachi   

The death toll from Saturday night's partial building collapse near Shaheen Complex off II Chundrigar Road rose to two on Sunday as another of the six people - a minor boy - injured in the incident passed away.

Several people were trapped under rubble when a floor of the building - said to be a pre-partition structure - collapsed and a rescue operation continued into the early hours of Sunday. Rescuers said a portion of the building collapsed after the roof of a two-storey building caved in. Children and women were among the injured who were taken to a hospital for treatment, and one minor boy was said to have succumbed to his wounds yesterday.

Police identified one of the victims as Najma, 35, and the injured as Murtaza, 45, Imama Zafar, 60, Ahmed, 30, and Waheed, 35.

The Sindh Building Control Authority was said to have issued notices to the residents of the building last month, cautioning them to vacate their homes as soon as possible, but the families demanded alternate accommodation before they moved out.

The authority has declared around 300 buildings dangerous in Karachi, but in the absence of the alternate accommodation, the families are still living in them.

 

Seven die in mishaps

Seven people including two teenage boys lost their lives and one person was injured in multiple incidents in the city. While five of the deaths reported were caused by road accidents, one person was electrocuted and another died of burn injuries.

In a hit-and-run accident, Muhammad Bilal, 23, and his friend Muhammad Faizan, 24, were killed when a speeding vehicle rammed into their motorcycle near Imtiaz Super Store situated at Rashid Minhas Road situated in Gulshan-e-Iqbal police limits.  

Obaid, the 14-year-old son of Naeem Gul lost his life when in another hit-and-run accident when a reckless vehicle hit his motorcycle near National Medical Center situated at Korangi Road in Defence police area.

In Malir 15 within Saudabad police jurisdiction, Muhammad Ali, 14, son of Muhammad Waseem passed away after his motorcycle got hit by a vehicle.  

Muhammad Ashraf, 80, smashed his skull after he lost control of his speeding motorcycle and collided with a footpath in Malir within Khokrapar police area.

While repairing an appliance, 32-year-old Muhammad Raees lost his life after he accidentally got electrocuted at his residence on Tipu Sultan Road within Ferozabad police limits.

Haq Das, 30 and Darwaish, 40 got burn injuries when a pressure cooker burst in a local hotel situated in Docks’ police jurisdiction as they prepared food. Both men were rushed to Civil Hospital but Haq Das couldn’t sustain injuries and passed away.