Karachi – July 2025
In the wake of the tragic building collapse in Karachi’s Lyari area that claimed at least 27 lives, a five-member investigation committee has been constituted to determine the causes of the disaster and identify those responsible. The committee has been tasked with submitting a detailed report, along with recommendations, within 48 hours.
According to official sources, the inquiry team will be led by Commissioner Karachi and includes key personnel from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and other relevant departments. The members are: Ayesha Hameed (Director), Nadeem Ahmed (Secretary of the Demolition Committee), Asif Ali Langah (Deputy Director of Technology at SBCA), and Hamdullah Sehar (Section Officer).
The committee’s mandate includes identifying the individuals or institutions whose negligence or misconduct may have led to the collapse. It will also propose measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future and lay out a structured evacuation process for residents of hazardous buildings across the city.
Beyond examining the immediate circumstances of the Lyari-Baghdadi incident, the committee will scrutinize the building’s construction approvals, structural integrity, and the role of regulatory bodies. Additionally, the investigation will extend to other illegal or dangerously dilapidated buildings in Lyari, a densely populated and historically underserved neighborhood.
Officials have granted the committee full authority to summon any relevant officer or department to aid the investigation. The probe will also look into past building collapse incidents in the area as part of a broader review of urban safety standards.
This latest collapse has cast a harsh spotlight on Karachi’s crumbling infrastructure and lax enforcement of building regulations. The disaster in Lyari-Baghdadi claimed the lives of sixteen men, nine women, and two children—most of them members of the local Hindu community. Dozens more were injured.
Eyewitnesses say the building crumbled without warning, burying not just residents but also over 50 rickshaws and motorcycles parked nearby. Rescue operations continued for hours as volunteers and authorities combed through the rubble in search of survivors.
As the city mourns yet another preventable tragedy, public anger is mounting over what many see as systemic neglect and corruption in the construction and regulatory sectors. The findings of this investigation—and whether they lead to accountability—are being closely watched.
