Karachi building collapse kills at least 9

Karachi building collapse kills at least 9

2011-08-05 15:13:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

KARACHI, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- At least nine people were killed and several others have been injured after a five-story building collapsed in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Thursday, local media reported on Friday.

The five-story building collapsed in the Baghdadi Moosa Lane area of Lyari town in Pakistan's largest city Karachi, killing at least nine people while several others are still feared to be trapped under the debris.

As of early Friday morning, more than 20 people had been rescued from the rubble and those injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital. Rescuers are facing difficulties in reaching the trapped residents due to the congested pathway towards the collapse site.

The Commissioner of Karachi has requested the army to send in specialized units to provide technical assistance and facilitate the rescue operations, Geo TV reported. Police has already evacuated an adjacent building to prevent any other incidents.

Residents of Lyari said there are at least a dozen more buildings in dilapidated condition which can collapse at any time, endangering their lives and properties. Despite the situation, the inhabitants of these buildings cannot afford to leave them due to their poor financial condition but they have demanded authorities to provide them with alternate accommodation.

This is not the first such incident in the area as three other buildings have collapsed over the past two years in the same neighborhood, and an additional four in the rest of Karachi.

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