Rescue teams in Karachi have wrapped up operations at the site of a five-storey building collapse that killed 27 people in the city’s Lyari neighbourhood, officials said today.

Residents reported hearing cracks before the structure crumbled around 10am Friday in the densely populated and impoverished area. “Most of the debris has been cleared,” said Hassaan Khan of rescue service 1122, expecting the operation to end by afternoon.

Authorities said the building had been declared unsafe, with eviction notices issued between 2022 and 2024 — though some residents claimed they never received them.

One father, Dev Raj, searching yesterday for his daughter buried under rubble, said: “She got married just six months ago. She was my beloved, so sensitive… now trapped under debris.”

Building collapses are common in Pakistan due to poor construction, lax enforcement, and ageing infrastructure. Karachi, home to over 20 million, is particularly prone to such tragedies because of illegal extensions and overcrowding.