Police launch probe into building collapse tragedy as death toll rises to 17.

Byline: Imtiaz Ali

KARACHI -- Police on Friday launched an investigation into Thursday's building collapse incident in Gulbahar (Golimar) area as its death toll has risen to 17 with the recovery of three more bodies from the debris.

According to officials and rescue services, it is feared that there may be some more people under the debris, alive or dead, as manual work for removing the debris continued till evening on Friday.

The Rizvia Society police said that the ground-plus-four-storey building had collapsed and fallen upon three other adjacent buildings, turning all the four structures into rubble.

The police have registered an FIR against the owner and builder of the building and officials of government departments concerned.

City police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon told Dawn that 'we have lodged an FIR' and that no one had so far been arrested in the case. 'We will wait till findings of the inquiry committee are released,' he added.

Rescuers fear more people may be trapped under the rubble

An area police officer said that the FIR had been registered on behalf of the state through an inspector, Aijaz Memon, against the owner and builder of the building, Mohammed Javed Khan, and officials of the departments concerned.

The case has been registered under sections 322 (punishment for qatl-bis-sabab), 119 (public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his duty to prevent), 337-H (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act), 427 (mischief causing damage) 109 (punishment of abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the FIR reviewed by Dawn, the complainant officer said that he received information at 1225 on Thursday that a building had collapsed in Gulbahar-2. The officer said when he along with a police party reached the area he saw four multistorey buildings had collapsed. People of the area had launched a rescue operation and they were taking out the bodies and the injured from the debris.

Funeral and reaction

The funeral prayer for four members of a family who lost their lives in the incident was...