At least 16 killed in Karachi Soldier Bazaar building collapse following gas explosion

KARACHI: At least 16 people, including women and children, were killed, and 18 injured after a suspected gas explosion caused part of a residential building to collapse in Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar area, according to rescue and hospital officials.

The incident occurred at a residence in the Gul Rana Colony area of Soldier Bazaar. The injured and the deceased were shifted to Civil Hospital.

The director of Civil Hospital’s Trauma Centre, Dr Mohammad Sabir Memon, said 13 bodies and 18 injured from the incident were brought to the hospital.

“According to initial reports, the explosion occurred due to a gas leak, resulting in part of the building collapsing,” said a District East police spokesperson.

Rescue 1122 said that search and rescue operations are ongoing, with an urban search and rescue team and a disaster response vehicle present at the scene.

The police spokesperson added that a large contingent of law enforcers, along with rescue teams, reached the scene soon after the incident was reported.

“Police cordoned off the area and tightened security, while rescue agencies initiated a search and rescue operation,” said the police spokesperson.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and expressed sorrow and grief over the loss of lives, said a statement released CM House.

The statement added that Murad directed the relevant authorities to “immediately rescue people trapped under the debris” and provide the victims with the “best possible” medical assistance.

Murad also ordered all possible support be provided to the affected families and instructed Karachi commissioner to investigate the cause of the incident.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar also expressed grief over the incident. He directed authorities to accelerate the pace of rescue efforts and ensure proper medical care for the injured citizens, said a statement from the minister’s office.

“All updates and details of the relief work should be regularly reported, the home minister directed,” added the statement.

In July 2025, at least 27 people died and 10 others were injured after a five-storey building collapsed in the Lyari area of the metropolis.

The building had already been declared uninhabitable by authorities due to its dilapidated structure.

In a statement back then, the Sindh Building Control Authority had noted that 588 buildings had been declared dangerous throughout Karachi.

A month later in August 2025, four workers of the Awami National Party (ANP) were injured, with one of them suffering severe burn wounds, when a gas explosion caused the collapse of their office in Orangi Town.

Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and the use of shoddy construction materials.

But Karachi, home to more than 20m, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding and lax enforcement of building regulations.