KARACHI: Rescuers on Wednesday found three more bodies from the debris of the five-storey building that collapsed in Lyari three days ago as the death toll rose to 22.

The search and rescue operation was still not over amid fears that there were still more people trapped under the debris.

Area residents and occupants of the collapsed building staged a protest at the place of the incident blaming the authorities for their alleged poor response and slow pace of operation.

The rescue operation continued till late Wednesday evening.

“As of today total 22 bodies have been recovered and all of them were moved to the Civil Hospital Karachi where families of the victims have identified them,” said an official privy to the details of the rescue operation.

However, there was no word from the authorities about the expected time of completion of the operation to remove the rubble and then demolish other vulnerable structures in the same neighbourhood.

Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani said that his team and other agencies were still looking for any survivor or body under the debris for which they needed to continue the operation for at least another day.

Area people and legislators, mostly from the opposition parties in Sindh, had claimed that 27 people were inside the building when it collapsed and they were missing following the incident.

Meanwhile, a large number of area people with occupants of the building staged a protest demonstration.

They demanded compensation for their loss and action against the officials involved in poor and delayed response for rescue after the tragedy.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2020