At least 34 killed in school roof collapse in Pakistan

At least 33 pupils and a teacher were killed when a school roof collapsed in Peshawar, north-west Pakistan, on Thursday, trapping children beneath debris and leaving more than a dozen people injured, hospital officials said. Some of the injured were in a critical condition. [1]

Emergency services were called to the private Al-Khair school in Dir Colony at 08:48 local time, after lessons had started, rescue official Bilal Faizi told the BBC. The upper-floor classroom roof gave way, and debris brought down ceilings in classrooms below.

Police chief Mian Saeed said classrooms on three floors had collapsed. He described the building as overloaded, with substandard roof slabs, and said police had arrested the school’s owner. Saeed said a thorough inquiry would examine whether building regulations had been breached. [1]

The school stood on a narrow street, making it difficult for rescuers to reach the site and take injured pupils to hospital. Local residents also helped pull children from the rubble.

The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ordered a safety audit of schools across the province. The collapse comes months after 14 children died when the roof of a private tuition centre near Lahore fell in June. [1]