Building collapses in Pakistan due to blast: at least 16 fatalities

An explosion brought down a residential building in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi early on February 19, leaving at least 16 people dead, including women and children, according to officials.

The blast occurred around 4:00 a.m. in the Soldier Bazaar area, a busy neighborhood of the city. At that hour, many Muslim families were awake preparing sehri, the pre-dawn meal eaten during Ramadan. In addition to those killed, at least 13 others were injured, said Hassan Khan, a spokesperson for the provincial rescue service.

Authorities said the three-storey building collapsed following an explosion of unknown origin. Senior city official Nasrullah Abbasi noted that it appeared to have been caused by a gas leak, though investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause.

Building collapses have been a recurring problem in Karachi. In July last year, 27 people lost their lives and 10 were injured when a five-storey structure fell in the city’s impoverished Lyari district. The government has identified roughly 600 buildings in Karachi as unsafe.

Across Pakistan, such incidents are often linked to weak safety regulations and the use of substandard construction materials. However, Karachi — a city of more than 20 million people — has gained notoriety for illegal construction, unauthorized extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and poor enforcement of building codes.