Sawt Falasteen - Search on for survivors of Pakistan building collapse

The incident happened shortly after 10:00 am (0500 GMT) in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan.

Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP.

Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said around 20 families were living inside.

"I got a call from my wife saying the building was cracking and I told her to get out immediately," he told AFP at the scene.

"She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her 'this building will stand for at least 10 more years'. Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed."

The Sindh provincial health department said the death toll had risen to eight killed and nine injured late Friday.

The search for survivors continued into the night, with relatives gathered near the site waiting for news.

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".

- Race against time -

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.

F.Qawasmeh--SF-PST