The death toll from the Pearl-Continental Hotel,
The death toll from the Pearl-Continental Hotel roof collapse in Karachi has risen to two
Two people have now died in the Pearl-Continental Hotel roof fall in Karachi after a guy died in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).
One person was murdered and three others were wounded when the five-star hotel’s ceiling collapsed on top of them on Thursday night. At about 11 p.m., witnesses said the hotel’s roof fell, causing fear among the hotel’s limited number of guests.
Rubbish covered the hotel lobby, as shown in videos and photos posted on social media. Within seconds after the event, the hotel’s doors were sealed and two emergency exits were opened for guests to use.
Firefighters, police and Rangers troops also arrived at the scene when the ambulances, cars of charitable organisations, fire tenders, and police arrived.
Raees Ahmed, 52, died on the scene, while Nafeesa Raeesa, Narghis Arshad, and Syed Shah Faraz were taken to the hospital, according to a police news statement. However, an Edhi official confirmed to RapidNews.com on Friday morning that Faraz had succumbed to his injuries and died.
According to a police official, no formal report of the event has been filed.
The Marcopolo Hall at the hotel, where an event was taking place at the time, was the location of the incident, according to him. According to him, several stores and dealers were in attendance.
Inquiry is launched by the hotel.
Pearl-Continental Hotel said it had begun an investigation into the event and was collaborating with emergency authorities in a separate statement posted on its Facebook page.
“The location has been assessed and approved by the local government and all relevant authorities,” it claimed.
The hotel’s management also expressed its heartfelt sympathies to all those affected by the fall, reassuring visitors that the “hotel staff has been actively giving help to our guests”.
Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who have been touched, and we are in contact with them,” the statement said.
False ceilings that have not been properly maintained
This morning, a report revealed that the “old and ill-maintained artificial ceiling” of the lobby on the hotel’s ground level was responsible for the roof’s collapse.
According to a South Senior Superintendent of Police, “It’s a fake ceiling of one of the hotel’s lobbies on the ground level,” he added.
“Apparently, the roof seems old and not maintained for quite some time,” he added, adding that details will be disclosed after an inquiry, but it looked that the ceiling collapsed owing to wind pressure or some leaks.
“The specific explanation for the occurrence has yet to be discovered. However, it proved disastrous since the artificial ceiling was built of concrete material. “At least one person has been killed,” he said.
