Death toll rose to 22 from Pakistan building collapse

Rescuers in Pakistan have recovered nine more bodies from beneath the rubble of a building that collapsed earlier this week in the southern port city of Karachi, bringing the death toll to 22, officials said.

There are fears there may be more bodies at the site as it is unclear how many people were inside the building at the time.

It had 40 apartments and most of them were empty because it was recently ordered to be vacated after it was declared unsafe in March, following cracks that had emerged on the roofs and walls.

Rescue workers used heavy machinery and were still removing the rubble, searching for more victims, according to police and the Edhi Foundation, which owns and runs Pakistan’s largest private ambulance service.

The earlier reported death toll had stood at 13.

Altaf Hussain, a senior police official, said the building collapsed after some of its residents went back inside to try to retrieve some of their belongings.