Three dead, 13 hurt in Machhar Colony building collapse

At least three people were killed and 13 others, including six children, suffered injuries after a residential building collapsed in the Mauripur neighbourhood on Monday. The incident took place in the Jafar Chowk area of the densely populated Machhar Colony.

Following the collapse, rescue teams from various welfare organisations initiated a search and rescue operation. Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed the casualties, saying that three people were brought dead, and 13 others injured, with four in serious condition.

They were taken to Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. One of the deceased has been identified as Amin, 50, while the remaining two are yet to be identified. Four of the injured children have been identified as Shahzadi, 3, daughter of Tahir, Ahmed, 3, son of Saeed Noor, Mubalisa, 3, daughter of Muhammad Noor, and Rashid, 10, son of Azhar, while two children aged between 10 and 15 years are yet to be identified.

Other injured have been identified as Umar Farooq, 21, son of Tariq, Ahmed, Razia Bibi, 23, wife of Amin, Hamid, 25, son of Noor Muhammad, Abdul Amin, 27, son of Abu Bakar, Noor Hussain, 28, son of Noor Muhammad, Nabi Alam, 28, son of Fazal Haq, and Saeed, 32, son of Noor Fazal Haq.

Police and rescue sources revealed that the building collapsed due to a cylinder explosion. Witnesses claimed that the explosion occurred at a gas cylinder shop located on the ground floor of the building.

They said that a vehicle loaded with gas cylinders had come to the shop to supply gas, adding that the explosion occurred during the transfer of gas and led to the collapse of the building. Concerns have also been voiced about the possibility of people trapped under the debris.

Residents have pointed out that the collapsed building had belonged to a former councillor named Noor Salam Haqqani. They said that Haqqani’s family resided in the two-storey structure.

One adjacent building was partially affected due to the incident, while the nearby buildings were also evacuated to avoid any further incidents. Witnesses claimed that the explosion had caused a fire, leading to the victims suffering burn injuries.

Despite challenges posed by the narrow streets, heavy machinery was deployed for the rescue efforts. However, a crowd gathering near the site of the incident compelled police and Rangers officials to use force to disperse them.

This was the second major incident of building collapse to have occurred in the city recently. On October 11 an under-construction building had collapsed in Shah Faisal Colony. Four people, including three labourers, had been killed and four others had been injured after the roof of the building caved in while some labourers had been applying cement plaster to it.