Roof collapse at school in Pakistan results in 28 fatalities and over 50 injuries

The roof of a private school collapsed in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of at least 28 children and a female teacher, with more than 50 others injured, according to a hospital spokesman. Six girls were among those who died. Several children remained trapped under the rubble in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as reported by Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the emergency services. Hospital spokesman Mohammad Asim confirmed the casualties, noting that some of the injured were in critical condition. All the deceased and injured children were aged 13 or younger. The hospital declared an emergency as medical staff treated the wounded, while rescuers worked to remove debris to reach those trapped. Witnesses indicated that residents were among the first to respond at the school, located in a congested neighborhood in central Peshawar. Rescue workers arrived shortly after being alerted. Resident Mohammad Khan described how rescuers carefully removed debris in an effort to reach children and staff who were feared to be trapped. Outside the school and at the state-run Lady Reading Hospital, parents expressed distress as they sought information about their children. The cause of the collapse is under investigation, with Peshawar police chief Saeed Ahmed stating that the school’s owner has been arrested and that the building was structurally weak. In July, a roof collapse at a tutoring center under construction in Lahore resulted in the deaths of four schoolchildren. Building collapses are frequent in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced, leading to the use of substandard materials and ignored safety regulations to cut costs.