—– Prime Minister takes note, expreses his sorrow
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: A devastating incident took place on Wednesday as heavy rainfall in the city resulted in the collapse of a building’s wall on Peshawar Road, claiming the lives of at least 11 people and leaving six others injured. Moreover, PM Shehbaz Sharif has expressed deep sorrow and grief over incident.
The victims were primarily laborers, and rescue teams worked tirelessly to recover their bodies from the rubble, employing heavy machinery to aid in the process. The deceased were promptly transported to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for further proceedings.
Fortunately, the injured were quickly attended to, and all six individuals were out of danger, receiving medical care at the same hospital. Upon receiving the alert about the incident, Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad and other officials including National Highway Authority (NHA), promptly arrived at the scene to coordinate the rescue efforts.
A thorough operation was conducted to locate and extract individuals who were trapped in the debris. The tragic incident was attributed to the collapse of a building’s wall, which fell upon a tent placed by the laborers who were working on the construction of an underpass. As a precautionary measure, the authorities at PIMS have put all doctors and paramedical staff on high alert to deal with any emergency during rain.
According to the authorities, the rain water had collected on both sides of the wall due to which the wall fell.
According to DC Islamabad, the construction of the underpass on the GT Road was going on by the National Highway Authority. Due to the construction of the underpass, the workers had installed their tent, due to the rain, the wall fell on top of the workers’ tent, and the tragic incident of the death of the workers took place.
Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Executive Director Dr. Mubasher Daha, while talking to The Daily Mail, stated that the dead bodies of 11 workers have been brought to PIMS, the ages of the deceased are between 19 and 36 years. He further informed that 6 injured persons have also been brought to Pims due to the fall of the wall, the injured persons are out of danger, one of the injured workers has been discharged after first aid.
Dr. Mubasher Daha said that PIMS administration is on full alert after heavy rains in the twin cities, PIMS staff is mobilized to deal with any sudden calamity.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives due to the wall collapse on Peshawar Road, Golra Mor due to heavy rains in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. PM prayed for forgiveness for the deceased and patience for the bereaved, besides, the Prime Minister instructed the administration to be on high alert due to the rain.
Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also expressed his grief over the deaths due to the collapse of the wall in Islamabad and expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of the deceased. He prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured, his statement said that the loss of human lives is tragic.
The locations that have been identified include Central Bara Kaho Road, Taramari Chowk, Captain Colonel Sher Khan Avenue, Faizabad area and PWD stop on Islamabad Expressway.
In a separate and equally heartbreaking incident, an 11-year-old girl lost her life in another wall collapse in Mohammadi Town, under the jurisdiction of Khana Police Station in Islamabad.
