LAHORE — Four people died, and several others were injured when the roof of a dilapidated house collapsed in the densely populated Rang Mahal area of Lahore’s Walled City early Tuesday morning.
The victims—identified by rescue officials as two women and two children—were asleep when the structure gave way. The collapse sent debris crashing into the ground floor, trapping families under heavy piles of brick and mortar.
Rescue 1122 teams arrived on the scene within minutes of the alarm, but the narrow, winding streets of the Walled City hindered the movement of heavy machinery. Rescuers were forced to clear the rubble largely by hand, working against the clock to pull survivors from the wreckage.
“We couldn’t get the crane in,” one rescue worker told reporters at the scene, wiping dust from his face. “We had to rely on manual tools and sheer effort to reach those buried underneath.”
The house, according to local residents, was decades old and had been flagged as “dangerous” by the district administration several times in recent years. Despite the warnings, the occupants remained, citing a lack of affordable alternatives and the high cost of property in the city.
The incident has reignited a bitter debate over the safety of historical structures in Lahore. The Walled City Authority has repeatedly issued notices to residents of decaying buildings, yet enforcement remains inconsistent. Many of these structures are ancestral homes, passed down through generations, leaving occupants caught between the threat of collapse and the loss of their heritage.
As the injured continue to receive treatment at Mayo Hospital, the district government has ordered a structural audit of the surrounding streets. For the families in Rang Mahal, however, the survey comes too late.
The site remains cordoned off as recovery efforts conclude. The authorities have yet to announce a compensation package for the grieving families, leaving many to wonder if the city’s aging infrastructure will be addressed before the next rain or tremor triggers another tragedy.
