At least 28 children and a female teacher were killed, and over 50 people were injured when the roof of a private school collapsed in northwestern Pakistan. Among the deceased were six girls. Rescue teams worked to free several children trapped in the rubble in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Mohammad Asim, a hospital spokesperson, confirmed the casualties, noting that some of the injured were in critical condition, all aged 13 or younger.
After the successful rescue of those trapped, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed sadness over the incident and requested a detailed report on the collapse’s cause. Efforts were made to provide the best medical assistance to the injured children.
A teacher, Mahwish Zaman, described the terrifying moment when the three-story school, hosting around 1,200 students from nursery to fifth grade, collapsed. She compared the event to feeling as if the sky had fallen.
Residents were quick to respond to the disaster in the congested neighborhood, with locals aiding in the rescue efforts. The collapse prompted an investigation, leading to the arrest of the school’s owner due to the building’s structural weaknesses.
The provincial government formed a committee to probe the incident, with officials ensuring swift medical care for the injured children. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to the affected families, emphasizing the importance of investigating the collapse and enforcing safety standards in educational buildings.
This incident follows a similar tragedy in Lahore, where a roof collapse at a tutoring center claimed the lives of four schoolchildren. Building collapses in Pakistan are recurrent due to lax construction standards and non-compliance with safety regulations, often resulting from the use of substandard materials to cut costs.