Rescue Effort Ends With 27 Killed in Building Collapse

The death toll from a collapsed multistory residential building in Karachi, Pakistan, rose to 27 on Sunday as a three-day rescue operation ended, officials said. Rescuers pulled 11 more bodies from the rubble of the building that collapsed on Friday, according to Dr. Summayya Tariq, the Karachi police surgeon. Ten people were injured, and one of them died at a hospital, she said.

One resident who wasn't home at the time said his wife called him to say the building was cracking, per the AFP. Shankar Kamho, 30, told her to get out. "She went to warn the neighbors, but one woman told her 'this building will stand for at least 10 more years,'" he said. "Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed."

Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the collapse. Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced, per the AP. Many structures are built with substandard materials, and safety regulations are often overlooked to reduce costs. In June 2020, an apartment building collapsed in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, killing 22 people.