Saad Edhi, of the Edhi welfare foundation that is part of the rescue operation, told AFP there could be “at least eight to 10 more people still trapped”, describing it as a “worn-out building”.
Nearby residents rushed to save their neighbours before rescuers took over to remove the rubble, along with at least five excavators.
The heavy machinery struggled to access the narrow alleys, and police baton-charged residents to clear the way.
All six family members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari were at his flat on the first floor when he left for work early in the morning.
“Nothing is left for me now – my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery,” he told AFP.
Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, said her brother’s family was also trapped under the rubble.
“It’s a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family,” she told AFP.
“We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.”
In June 2020, at least 18 people were killed when a residential building housing about 40 apartments collapsed in the same area of the city.
Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.
But Karachi, home to more than 20 million, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/pakistan-building-collapse-kills-seven-5221021
