Peshawar, Oct 15: At least 34 children and a teacher were killed when the roof of a private school collapsed on Thursday in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, hospital authorities and police said.
The incident occurred in Dir Colony in the congested inner city area, Peshawar Capital City Police chief Mian Saeed said.
Thirty students were present in classrooms on the upper floor of the Al-Khair School when the roof collapsed, he said.
The owner, who was operating the institution as an education trust, has been arrested, he said, adding that the roof of the three-storey building was poorly constructed.
Thirty-two children and a teacher were brought dead to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) in Peshawar, hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim told PTI.
Two bodies were shifted to Naseerullah Khan Babar Memorial Hospital in the city.
Asim said 20 injured children were also brought to the LRH hospital. Most of them were discharged after first aid. Three critically injured children, who sustained head injuries, had been admitted to the hospital, he added.
An emergency was declared at the hospital to treat the injured, Asim said, adding that all of the children killed or injured in the incident were age 13 or younger.
Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir said all people trapped beneath the debris have been rescued. He also ordered a probe into the building collapse.
Provincial Education Secretary Inayatullah Waseem directed the managing director of the Private Schools Regulatory Authority to submit a report on the incident by Friday.
According to the city police chief, the building was located in narrow streets, which made rescue operations difficult.
He said the authorities will examine which building regulations had been violated and conduct a proper inquiry into the incident to determine responsibility for the negligence.
Pakistan Army personnel, alongside other rescue and relief agencies, actively participated in the rescue operation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed directed the Peshawar Chief Traffic Officer to establish a green corridor to ensure uninterrupted movement of ambulances.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief over the loss of life in the mishap and extended condolences to the bereaved families.
Sharif prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and directed authorities to provide the best possible medical treatment to them.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.
KPK Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed grief over the roof collapse and directed the relevant authorities to determine the cause of the incident.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed deep grief over the deaths, saying he was deeply shocked by the tragic news.
Building and roof collapses are common in Pakistan and are often attributed to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials.
In July, three girls, aged between 3 and 13, were killed after a portion of the outer wall of a government primary school in Sindh province collapsed and the rubble fell on them. The same month, a child died, and five other people were injured after the roof of an under-construction private school building collapsed in Lahore.
In June, 14 children were killed when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore. The incident had come less than two months after four children were killed and 20 people injured after the roof of a classroom at a private school collapsed in Dera Ghazi Khan district. (PTI)
