Karachi Building Collapses: What the Approval Records Show

Karachi's deadliest building collapses since 2020 have killed more than 80 people, and almost none of them was a surprise. When the records are examined afterwards, the same few failures keep appearing: floors added without approval, buildings put up on land that was never meant to carry them, and old structures that SBCA had already declared dangerous but that people were still living in.

For a buyer or tenant, these cases are a practical lesson in the building layer of a purchase. Our guide on how to verify property in Karachi explains that every property must clear land, building and title checks, and the collapse records show exactly which building checks would have flagged the danger in advance.

This guide reviews the major Karachi collapses since 2020, sorts them by what the approval records reveal, examines how accountability has worked in practice, and turns the pattern into a checklist buyers and tenants can use.

The major collapses since 2020

Reported death tolls vary between sources, particularly in the first days after each collapse. The figures above are the final tolls most widely reported.

Pattern 1: floors that were never approved

The Gulbahar collapse is the clearest case. In March 2020, a seven-storey building on a 74-square-yard plot came down, bringing two neighbouring structures with it and killing 27 people. Prosecutors told the court that the owner first built only the ground floor and then added floor after floor, allegedly through a deal with SBCA officials, before topping the building with a penthouse. Reports said heavy excavation at the foundation and an attempt to add pillars to support the existing structure preceded the collapse.

Unapproved floors appear again and again in the court record. In a 2022 Lyari case, the Sindh High Court dealt with a 96-square-yard plot in Agra Taj Colony being raised to seven floors where only ground plus two was allowed. In a 2023 case, a builder approved for basement, ground and one floor built ground plus three and obtained a completion plan on a false architect's certificate.

The lesson: count the floors and compare them with the approved plan. A building taller than its plan is not just a paperwork problem. It is carrying loads its structure was never designed for.

Pattern 2: land that should never have been built on

The Korangi collapse of September 2020 killed four people in a building only four years old. SBCA said the building was illegal and stood on a plot carved out of an amenity plot, the practice known as china-cutting. Water collecting in the basement after heavy rain was reported to have weakened its foundations.

Buildings on china-cut land have no lawful plot, so they cannot have a lawful building plan or completion plan. Nobody checked their design before they went up, and nobody had the authority to inspect them as they rose.

Pattern 3: buildings already on the dangerous list

Both deadly Lyari collapses involved buildings SBCA had already flagged. In June 2020, a five-storey building of 40 flats, 35 to 40 years old, had been declared unsafe and served notice before it fell. In July 2025, the Baghdadi building had been declared hazardous as early as 2023 and served several evacuation notices, the last in late June 2025, while about 12 families still lived inside. Twenty-seven people died.

An SBCA official said after the 2025 collapse that forced evacuation was not possible without law enforcement and social welfare support, because "people simply don't leave". Many residents had nowhere else to go. Our guide on how to check if a Karachi project is SBCA approved covers how to confirm a building's status with SBCA directly.

Pattern 4: construction-stage failures

In October 2023, a three-storey building under construction in Shah Faisal Colony collapsed during slab pouring, killing five labourers. Four SBCA officials were suspended and an FIR was registered. Construction-stage collapses point to missing site supervision and inspections during building, which the approval system is supposed to provide.

What the approval system is meant to do

Each collapse above slipped through at least one of these stages. That is why buyers cannot rely on the system alone to have done its job.

How accountability has worked

In the Gulbahar case, the court ordered each convict to pay diyat of Rs8,103,955 to the heirs of each of the 27 people killed, plus Rs50,000 to each of the 16 injured. No official was convicted.

What the numbers show: Milkiyat.com findings

The five major collapses killed 85 people. 27 + 22 + 4 + 5 + 27 = 85. Three of the five, accounting for 27 + 22 + 27 = 76 deaths, or about 89%, involved either unapproved floors or buildings SBCA had already declared dangerous.

The Gulbahar plot carried seven floors on 666 square feet. 74 square yards × 9 = 666 square feet of footprint, about the size of a single small flat, supporting seven storeys.

Diyat in the Gulbahar case exceeds Rs219 million. Rs8,103,955 × 27 = Rs218,806,785, plus Rs50,000 × 16 = Rs800,000 for the injured: about Rs219.6 million in total.

Accountability took four and a half years, and stopped at the owners. From March 2020 to October 2024 is about 4.5 years, and 0 of 8 SBCA officials were convicted.

The Lyari building stood for about two years after its warning. Declared hazardous in 2023, it collapsed in July 2025 with families still inside.

How to protect yourself before buying or renting

1. Count the floors and compare them with SBCA's approved building plan.
2. Ask for the completion plan and occupancy certificate and confirm both with SBCA, not from a builder's copy.
3. Check the plot. Make sure it is not a china-cut or amenity plot by checking its designated use with the land authority.
4. Check the dangerous buildings list with SBCA for any building more than about 30 years old.
5. Look for warning signs: cracks in columns or beams, exposed or rusted steel, sagging slabs, water in the basement, and recent extra floors on an old structure.
6. Check utilities. Legal, separate connections suggest a completion plan exists; temporary or shared connections are a warning.
7. Hire a structural engineer for any older building or any building with added floors.

Our guide to the SBCA completion certificate explains why no unit should be bought or registered without one.

Checklist before you pay

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What causes most building collapses in Karachi?

A. The major collapses since 2020 involved unapproved extra floors, buildings on illegally carved plots, old buildings already declared dangerous, and failures during construction.

Q2. How many people died in the Gulbahar building collapse?

A. Twenty-seven people died when a seven-storey building on a 74-square-yard plot collapsed in March 2020.

Q3. Were SBCA officials convicted for the Gulbahar collapse?

A. No. In October 2024, a Karachi sessions court convicted five members of the owner's family of manslaughter and acquitted all eight SBCA officials for lack of proof.

Q4. Had SBCA warned about the 2025 Lyari building?

A. Yes. SBCA had declared it hazardous as early as 2023 and served several evacuation notices, the last in late June 2025.

Q5. How can I tell if a building has extra floors?

A. Compare the number of floors on site with SBCA's approved building plan and completion plan.

Q6. Can I trust a builder's completion certificate?

A. Confirm it with SBCA directly. In a 2023 case, a completion plan was obtained on a false architect's certificate.

Q7. Should I rent in a building declared dangerous?

A. No. SBCA can order occupants to vacate and the building to be demolished, and several deadly collapses involved buildings already on the list.

This guide is for general information. Building approvals, dangerous building lists and court outcomes change, and buyers and tenants should confirm the status of any building directly with SBCA and get advice from a qualified structural engineer and lawyer before paying.

Sources

• Sindh Buildings Control Ordinance 1979, Government of Sindh
• Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations 2002
• Sindh Building Control Authority, official website