34 killed as school roof collapses in Pakistan’s Peshawar
At least 33 pupils and a teacher have died after a school building collapsed in Peshawar, north-western Pakistan, with several other children injured and some feared trapped beneath the debris.
The incident occurred on Thursday morning at the private Al-Khair school in Dir Colony, after classes had begun. Rescue officials said the collapse started in an upper-floor classroom before the falling debris brought down ceilings in classrooms below.
Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed said classrooms across three floors were affected, blaming the building’s substandard roof slabs and excessive load for the collapse. The school was reportedly housed in a temporarily constructed building.
Lady Reading Hospital confirmed 32 children and a teacher had died, while Naseerullah Khan Babar Memorial Hospital reported one additional child death.
Rescue efforts were complicated by the school’s location on a narrow street, which restricted access for emergency vehicles. Local residents also joined rescue teams in pulling pupils from the rubble.
Police have arrested the school’s owner, while Saeed described the incident as a case of gross negligence and said authorities would investigate possible building-code violations.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has ordered a safety audit of schools across the province to identify structural risks and ensure corrective action.
The tragedy comes four months after 14 children died when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed near Lahore, raising further concerns about building safety at educational facilities in Pakistan.
Source: BBC
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