LAHORE: At least one individual was killed, while seven others were injured on Tuesday when the roof of an under-construction building collapsed near Multan’s Northern Bypass, Rescue 1122 said.

In a statement, the rescue service said the roof of an under-construction plaza had collapsed near the National College of Business Administration and Economics on Northern Bypass.

The agency said that so far, seven injured individuals had been rescued and shifted to Nishtar Hospital, adding that one person was killed in the collapse, whose body had also been shifted to the hospital.

It added that a Rescue 1122 team would remain at the site until the salvage operation is completed.

A rescue official confirmed to Dawn that eight labourers were present on the site; however, the presence of any other individual, trapped under the debris, might not be ruled out until the wreckage is removed and the site is declared cleared.

Upon receiving the information, Rescue 1122 relief teams were immediately dispatched to the incident site, the statement said. “Rescue 1122 teams reached the incident site within three minutes and initiated the search and rescue operation,” it said.

The statement said 10 vehicles were actively engaged in the relief operations. The relief operations include five ambulances, three rescue motorbikes, one rescue vehicle, and one fire vehicle, it added.

In a statement earlier, a spokesperson for Nishtar Hospital said that six injured were shifted to the hospital, adding that the hospital record showed that another individual was brought dead.

As per the records, three injured received head injuries — whose nature and criticality are unknown — while the other three received minor injuries.

The spokesperson said doctors and paramedical staff were on high alert in the emergency room, and the best medical facilities were being provided to the injured.

Building and roof collapses are common in Pakistan, often attributed to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials.

A teacher and 30 students were killed when a school’s roof collapsed in Peshawar earlier this month.

In September, two men died in Pakpattan after the roof of their house collapsed during heavy rain and a windstorm.

On June 30, 14 children lost their lives when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area.