The death toll from a suspected gas leak that triggered a partial building collapse in the Soldier Bazaar area of Karachi has risen to at least 16, rescue sources said Thursday.
The blast occurred on the first floor of a residential building late Wednesday night, causing part of the structure to cave in, rescue teams said. Authorities added that all available resources were being used in the ongoing search operation.
Police said initial information suggests the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak, possibly from a cylinder or a gas suction machine, according to media reports.
Rescue teams pulled multiple people from the rubble. Among the confirmed dead are:
- Narjis, 2, daughter of Kambar
- Mohammad Riaz, 60, son of M. Usman
- Nazia, 10, daughter of Vikia
- Banazir, 15, daughter of Vikia
- Kambar Ali, 27, son of Balouch Khan
- Yasmeen, 21, wife of Kambar Ali
- Sono, 6, daughter of Jabbar
- Waseem, 5, son of Nadem
- Nadeem, 28, son of Uras
- Sajjad, 12, son of Shahid
- Abbas, 18, son of Shahid
- Zain ul Nisa, 35, wife of Shahid
- Aqsa, 15, daughter of Anwar Ali
Several injured, including children, were shifted to hospital for treatment. Authorities said narrow streets surrounding the building were hampering rescue operations. Two people are still believed to be trapped under the debris. Police cordoned off the area and tightened security as search continued.
The incident is the latest in a string of deadly building collapses in Pakistan’s largest city.
In July 2025, at least 27 people were killed and 10 others injured when a five-story building collapsed in the Lyari area, a densely populated district where many working-class families live in ageing apartment blocks. A month later, in August 2025, four workers of the Awami National Party were injured when a gas explosion caused the collapse of their office in Orangi Town.
Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, often linked to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials. Karachi, home to more than 20 million people, faces chronic housing shortages, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and weak enforcement of building regulations. Authorities have declared hundreds of buildings dangerous, many in the congested Old City area.
Previous major collapses include a five-story building in Rizvia Society in February 2020 that killed at least 27, another residential structure in Gulbahar the following month that claimed 16 lives, a three-story building in Malir in June 2021 that killed four, and a building collapse in Korangi last year that caused at least three deaths. Most of these structures were either declared unsafe or built without proper approval.
Experts have repeatedly warned that little progress has been made in enforcing building codes or relocating residents from hazardous structures.
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