A Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) team probing the collapse of a residential building in Gulbahar area of the city claimed that the two-storey building caved in due to its weak foundation. The three-member SBCA team reached the incident site that has already claimed lives of at least 18 people. The initial report prepared by the team said that the building comprised of an old structure and weak foundation. “No development work was ongoing in the building at the time of its collapse,” the report said and added that further clarity into the matter would come after the debris is removed. The report also said that the underground boring in nearby areas impacted the building foundation. “We will be sending the samples from the debris for lab tests in order to ascertain real cause of the collapse,” said one official of the building authority. He said that the SBCA is yet to found any record on the collapsed building and once the debris is cleared, the committee would visit again to launch probe into the matter. Meanwhile, the death toll from the building collapse rose to 18 with rescue efforts continued on Friday to retrieve any survivors still stuck under the rubble. Earlier, a case was registered at Karachi’s Rizvia Police Station in the state’s name against the building owner, includes clauses 322 (causing death without intention), 119 (Qisas), 337 (causing bodily harm), 427 (mischief causing material damage) and 190 (aiding and abetting) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
