At least 16 people, including women and children, lost their lives and 14 others were injured after a gas explosion triggered the partial collapse of a residential building in Karachi’s Soldier Bazaar area, Dawn reported on Thursday.
The explosion occurred around 4.15 am during Sehri at a house in Gul Rana Colony, said Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jamshed Asher. According to him, the blast originated on the first floor of the building.
All victims — both deceased and injured — were shifted to Civil Hospital. Rescue officials later confirmed that the death toll had climbed to 16.
Rescue 1122 chief operating officer Dr Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh told reporters that the explosion caused a portion of the ground-plus-two-storey structure to cave in. He noted that the building consisted of small, partitioned rooms, complicating rescue operations.
“This is not a legal building, and the structure is made up of individual rooms,” he said, adding that adjacent buildings also sustained damage.
A list released by Rescue 1122 showed that the deceased included eight children, four women and four men, ranging in age from two to 60 years. Among the injured were seven minors.
Search and rescue efforts were ongoing, with an urban search and rescue team and a disaster response vehicle deployed at the site.
A spokesperson for District East police said the area was cordoned off shortly after the incident. “Police sealed off the surroundings and tightened security, while rescue teams began search and rescue operations,” the spokesperson said.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed sorrow over the tragedy and directed authorities to immediately rescue those trapped under the rubble. He also ordered that the injured receive the best possible medical care, called for support to affected families, and instructed the Karachi commissioner to investigate the cause of the explosion.
Building collapses are a recurring problem in Karachi, a city of more than 20 million people, amid concerns over illegal constructions, unsafe structures and ageing infrastructure. In July 2025, at least 27 people were killed when a five-storey building collapsed in Lyari, despite having previously been declared unsafe. The Sindh Building Control Authority has stated that 588 buildings across the city have been identified as dangerous.
