LAHORE: A labourer died, while seven others were injured when the roof of an under-construction building collapsed near the Northern Bypass, Multan, on Tuesday.
According to Rescue 1122, the roof of an under-construction commercial plaza, located near the National College of Business Administration and Economics on Northern Bypass, collapsed suddenly.
According to a Rescue 1122 official, eight labourers were reportedly working there when the roof of the structure collapsed. However, the presence of any other individual trapped under the debris could not be ruled out until the wreckage was removed and the site was cleared, he added.
On being informed of the incident, vehicles of Rescue 1122, including five ambulances, a fire engine and three motorbikes, reached the spot and launched a rescue operation, he says.
He says that the rescuers pulled out the injured persons from the debris, while a labourer, Rasheed (38), succumbed to his injuries on the spot.
The injured were shifted to Nishtar Hospital for treatment, along with the body of the deceased. The injured were identified as Ramzan, 16, Farhan, 17, Qadeer, 23, Tauqeer, 26, Aamir Hussain, 29, Hafeezur Rehman, 37, and Abdullah, 42. A spokesperson for Nishtar Hospital, citing hospital records, confirmed that one of the labourers had been brought dead.
According to him, three of the labourers suffered head injuries, while the others sustained minor ones.
He claims that doctors and paramedical staff have been placed on high alert in the emergency ward, and the best possible medical facilities are being provided to the injured persons.Rescuers say that a team would remain at the site until the operation was completed.
In a statement, Rescue 1122 claimed its teams reached the incident site within three minutes of receiving the information about the incident.
A Multan police spokesperson says that an investigation would be conducted into the incident to know why the roof collapsed.
He says that no case has been registered so far.
Building and roof collapse incidents in Pakistan are often attributed to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials.
Earlier this month, a teacher and 30 students were killed when the roof of a dilapidated school building collapsed in Peshawar.
In September, two men had died in Pakpattan after the roof of their house collapsed during heavy rain and windstorm.
On June 30, 14 children lost their lives when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area.
Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2026
