At least 7 dead in roof collapse at Rahim Yar Khan shop

RAHIM YAR KHAN: At least seven women died and several others were injured on Monday when the roof of a shop collapsed in Rahim Yar Khan’s Chak 123-P Tibba locality. A statement issued by the district administration said the incident occurred at 10:39am when beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) had gathered at the grocery store that housed a retailer for BISP payments. The statement confirmed that seven women lost their lives in the incident and several others had been injured. The death toll was also confirmed by Rescue 1122, which said 75 people had been injured in the incident. The district administration’s statement quoted Divisional Commissioner Musarrat Jabeen as stating that an investigation was being conducted, and if it was found that the roof collapsed due to anyone’s negligence, strict legal action would be taken against those responsible. The statement also said that an investigation committee had been constituted, which was led by the additional deputy commissioner (general). The committee would submit its report within 24 hours, it added. In a statement, BISP earlier said “women beneficiaries of the BISP were present along with other women at a payment point of a private bank” when the incident occurred. The BISP announced that Rs1 million in compensation would be given to the families of the deceased and Rs300,000 to the injured women. The payments will be made by tomorrow, the statement added. The BISP said a notice has been issued to the partner bank and “a heavy fine would be imposed”. The programme vowed that a “transparent investigation” would be conducted into the matter and strict legal action would be taken against the representatives of the partner bank. BISP Chairperson Rubina Khalid, on the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari, departed for Rahim Yar Khan to visit the site of the incident and review the situation, the statement said. President Zardari “expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident at a [private] payment point”, where “BISP beneficiary women were also present”. He extended condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the injured, the Presidency said. The president also directed Khalid to visit the site immediately.

District administration spokesperson, Mohammad Ateeq Khan, told Dawn that initial reports suggested more than 200 people were gathered around the shop when the incident occurred. The roof, built with substandard material, could not bear the load of the women and collapsed, he said. BISP Rahim Yar Khan Director Talha Bin Amman initially told Dawn that at least five women died, while 20 were injured during the mishap. “The majority of women were at the shop because of [upcoming] Eid.”