14 die as building falls upon two adjacent structures.

Byline: Imtiaz Ali

KARACHI -- Fourteen people, including women and children, died and 17 others suffered injuries when an under-construction building in the Gulbahar area of Nazimabad fell upon two adjacent buildings, bringing all the three multi-storey structures to the ground on Thursday, officials and witnesses said.

The dead included a woman and her three children and another woman and her daughter and two minor brothers.

Rizvia Society police said the multi-storey buildings were located in Phool Wali Gali in Gulbahar-1. Rescue workers retrieved the bodies and the injured from the debris of the collapsed buildings by cutting iron rods.

The officials said they faced immense difficulty in getting access to the area as it was a highly congested locality where even the street was impassable. Ambulances were parked at some distance in another street. The wounded persons were taken to different hospitals of the city.

Police surgeon Dr Qarar Ahmed Abbasi said 14 bodies, including those of women and children, were brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. They suffered head injuries. He feared that the death toll might increase as some of the injured were in critical condition.

Question mark over how a six-storey edifice was allowed to be built on an 80-square-yard plot

In order to avoid more damage to the life and property, nearby buildings were vacated by the officials.

The area people told the media that the five-storey Fatima building was constructed around three years ago and a sixth floor was being constructed when the building fell down. Four families were living in the building.

Rescue officials said it appeared that concrete structure and pillars of the building were weak.

Inquiry ordered

Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani said an inquiry had been launched to ascertain the exact cause of the incident. He said it would be investigated whether or not the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) had approved the building's design and criminal charges would be filed against those involved in it.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and sought a detailed report. He also directed the Karachi commissioner to immediately launch a rescue operation to save people's lives and to investigate whether the building was constructed legally.

Debris is scattered in the street. -Fahim Siddiqi / White Star

Later, the commissioner visited the spot and supervised the rescue operation.

SBCA sources said the building was...