Pakistan School Roof Collapse Kills 29 Children in Peshawar

28 children and one teacher were killed Thursday morning when the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan. Most of the children killed were under 13 years old. More than 50 people were injured, several critically.

The disaster struck at the Al-Khair Educational Centre during the school day. According to reports, the roof of the upper floor gave way, triggering the collapse of additional sections of the building while students were in their classrooms. Children and staff were trapped beneath the debris.

Rescue teams and medical crews were called to the scene and began complex extraction operations. The injured were evacuated to hospitals across the city, and Lady Reading Hospital declared a state of emergency to enable rapid treatment of the casualties.

Rescue forces continued working at the disaster site in an effort to locate additional students and staff trapped under the rubble. According to reports, there is concern that the death toll will rise as extraction operations continue.

The Peshawar police chief said the building had a weak infrastructure, and an investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of the collapse. The school's owner has been arrested, and authorities have ordered an examination of the building's safety and the factors that led to the disaster.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials expressed sorrow over the children's deaths and emphasised the need to investigate the circumstances of the incident and provide medical care to all the injured.

The disaster joins a series of building collapses at educational institutions in Pakistan, where construction defects and poor enforcement of safety standards raise concerns for the safety of students.