No casualties reported as 'abandoned' restaurant collapses at Karachi's Do Darya: police

No casualties were reported after an “abandoned” restaurant located at Karachi’s Do Darya collapsed, officials said on Monday.

Videos being shared on social media showed that the deck overlooking the sea had collapsed.

“A restaurant on Do Darya called Zaiqa collapsed but there were no casualties,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) South Asad Raza.

He added that police had rushed to the scene soon after receiving information of the incident on the 15 helpline.

Police were told that the restaurant had been closed for the last 12 years, he said.

Another officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Darakshan Rana Mohammed Dilawar, said that it was an “abandoned building” that was not in use, reiterating that no casualties were reported.

Several popular restaurants are located at the Do Darya strip in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase VIII. The incident comes after heavy monsoon rainfall has laid waste to the city’s infrastructure and fragile sewerage system.

DC seals 5 restaurants

Taking notice of the incident, South Deputy Commissioner (DC) Tabraiz Sadiq Marri sealed five restaurants at Do Darya, according to a statement released by his spokesperson.

The DC also said that an abandoned restaurant, which had been closed for some time, had collapsed but no casualties were reported.

In light of this incident, five restaurants have been sealed to avoid any untoward incident, the statement said. The sealed restaurants were identified as Kolachi, Kababjees, Al-Habib, Al-Sajjad and Charcoal.

“These five restaurants were sealed after the DHA’s engineering department evaluated their structures,” the DC said.