In brief
A roof collapse at the Al‑Khair private school in Peshawar killed 33 students and a teacher, while dozens were injured and others feared trapped. Rescue crews faced a narrow street that hindered access. Police and provincial officials denounce the building’s substandard construction and announce a safety audit of all schools. The incident follows a string of structural failures, including a tuition centre roof collapse and a hospital neonatal unit fire. Authorities have arrested the school’s owner and promise a thorough inquiry.
At least 33 pupils and a teacher died when a temporary private school building in Peshawar collapsed during lessons Thursday morning. Hospital officials report that more than a dozen children were injured, some critically, and several feared trapped under heavy debris.
Emergency services were dispatched at 08:48 local time after the roof of an upper‑floor classroom gave way, sending ceilings and rubble cascading into lower floors. Rescue workers had to navigate a narrow street that allowed only one vehicle at a time, delaying access and medical transport.
Police chief Mian Saeed condemned the incident as a case of gross negligence, stating that the building’s “substandard roof slabs” were overloaded and beyond their capacity. He confirmed that the school owner has been arrested while the structure remains “extremely dangerous.”
The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faisal Karim Kundi, ordered an immediate safety audit of all schools in the province to identify potential hazards and implement corrective measures.
This tragedy follows recent structural failures across the country, including a private tuition centre roof collapse that killed fourteen children and a hospital neonatal unit fire that claimed fourteen newborns, both linked to inadequate safety measures.