Pakistan: 23 dead in building collapse as Karachi’s unsafe housing raises safety concern

Dubai: The collapse of a five-storey building in Karachi’s improvised Lyari area on Friday, which killed at least 23 residents, has once again exposed the deepening crisis of dangerous and neglected buildings in Pakistan’s largest city.

The building in the densely populated impoverished Lyari area, was already on the Sindh Building Control Authority’s (SBCA) official list of “dangerous structures”, one of 588 such buildings across Karachi, and one of 107 just in Lyari. However, it was not evacuated due to lack of intend both from the government and the residents.

By Saturday evening, more than 20 bodies were recovered from the rubble. Several victims, including 12-year-old Ayush Jamna Das and newlyweds Rohit Arsi (30) and Geeta Rohit (24), were among the residents, who had lived in the decaying structure with nowhere else to go.

Crumbling buildings

Karachi is a city living on borrowed time. From Lyari to Malir, crumbling buildings dot the skyline.

According to SBCA data: 588 buildings citywide are unfit for habitation while the old district South has the highest number with 456 dangerous building.

Despite official warnings and evacuation notices, little to no action is taken. In the Lyari collapse, authorities claimed to have served notices as early as two years ago, with a final warning on June 25, 2025. But utilities were never disconnected, and residents were never evacuated, Dawn news reported.

Why residents still inside

“We do not have anywhere else to go. “If you kick us out, where do we sleep? On the street?,” a resident told local media

This is the core issue: the state’s failure to relocate or support low-income families trapped in hazardous housing. Most residents are daily wage earners with no access to affordable alternatives. In many cases, they are also from minority communities, who live in older city sectors without government-backed housing options.

No eviction

The SBCA insists its hands are tied. “We can’t forcefully evacuate people without police and welfare coordination,” said an SBCA official. “Notices were issued, but people didn’t leave.”

But residents and activists point to systemic failure, not just public resistance. “There’s no plan, no funding, and no urgency,” said area councilor Jawad Shoaib. “People are being asked to vacate without being offered a single viable alternative.”

A repeated pattern of death

This is not the first time Karachi has mourned over its own broken foundations:

• 2020: Three building collapses in Lyari killed 49 people

• February 2020: A five-storey building in Rizvia Society collapsed — 27 dead

• June 2020: Another collapse in Khudadad Market killed 25

• June 2021: Malir structure crumbles — 4 dead

• August 2024: Kurangi building collapse — 3 dead

Policy crisis

Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, visiting the site on Saturday, admitted the scope of the challenge: “We can’t just throw people out of their homes. It becomes a humanitarian issue. But if we want to prevent deaths, we must act, even if it means forced evacuations.”

He added that the government is “willing to relocate” affected families, but provided no clear plan, timeline, or assurance of alternative housing.

Experts argue this is the crux of the issue: evacuation without relocation is not a solution but rather it’s displacement. And until Karachi develops a real housing policy for its poorest, dangerous buildings will remain death traps in disguise.