Karachi:
Two blocks of a residential apartment complex in Gulistan-E-Jauhar, Block 10, partially sank into the ground early Tuesday morning, causing about 300 inhabitants homeless and forced to live under the open sky. Preliminary findings have attributed the deeply worrying event to possible soil erosion caused by a nearby drainage.
Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) sealed blocks C and D in the affected building, known as Yasir Terrace, and declared them uncertain to live. Residents have been prevented from entering the apartments to pick up important possessions despite widespread appeals.
Disposable residents – including women, children and the elderly – have been prepared in the outdoors within the housing complex’s premises without any official support or relief from the government. No temporary shelter, food or medical assistance has been provided so far, although a welfare organization, the Al-Khidmat Foundation, has stepped in to supply clean water and food to the affected families.
Said Qazi Akbar, a resident of the building, expressed his anguish over the situation. “We are back with nothing. The authorities have sealed our home and will not let us collect important things. It is raining and we are sitting under the sky – where are we going? He told The Express Pakinomist.
According to the first reports, the incident found around 1 p.m. 05:30 Tuesday, when a high explosion horrored residents of Yasir Terrace. Paniced residents rushed out of their apartments and feared for an earthquake. Shortly after, the ground floor of blocks C and D began to sink, causing visible cracks and structural damage. Windows crushed and parts of the buildings tightened under pressure.
“Residents had complained about gas leakage for days. It is still too early to confirm whether the collapse was due to a gas explosion or weakening of the foundation caused by the adjacent drainage,” said Muhammad Ashfaq, a trade union committee member of Yasir Terrace Phase 2.
After the incident, Rescue 1122, police and local officials responded quickly. Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) sealed both buildings after a technical inspection where police secured the site. Assistant Commissioner Syed Aamir confirmed that rapid water flow probably weakened the foundation. Residents can only retrieve property after formal approval.
Although blocks A and B appear stable, further inspection is needed. Over 70 nearby homes were evacuated due to continued rainfall and visible soil damage. A nearby road has also been compromised.
Disposable families urge the Sindh government and SBCA to provide temporary shelter.
