Six dead, 12 hurt as multi-storey building collapses in Karachi

At least six people have died and over a dozen were injured when a multi-storey building collapsed here, officials said on Monday.

The residential building in Karachi”s Kalri area collapsed on Sunday night and six bodies have been recovered so far though rescue operation are going on, officials said.

The residents of the building said the six-storey structure collapsed with a loud “thud”, which was followed by a power outage making rescue operations difficult.

Personnel from the Army, Rangers, police and welfare associations were engaged in the rescue operation.

Around 30 people are feared trapped in the debris, Deputy Inspector General of Police Sharjeel Kharal told The News.

Another multi-storey building in the area was evacuated as a precautionary measure, Kharal said.

Rescue officials said 12 injured have been sent to hospitals.

This is the third major building collapse in the country”s financial capital this year. In March, 27 people were killed and scores injured when a five-storey building fell on two adjacent structures in Karachi”s congested Gulbahar area.

Karachi city authorities have identified over 1,500 buildings as ”dangerous”, however little action has been taken to evacuate them.