18 killed, over 30 injured as school roof collapses in Pakistan’s Peshawar
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Islamabad: At least 18 people, including 17 children and a female teacher, died after the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Thursday, while more than 30 others were injured, local media reported.
The injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital, where emergency measures were activated to treat the casualties. Hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim said all the children killed in the incident were aged 13 or younger. Some of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.
Rescue teams, ambulances and disaster response personnel rushed to the school and began searching the debris for survivors. Rescue 1122 personnel provided initial treatment to several injured children before transporting them to hospital.
Authorities continued operations at the site amid fears that more people could be trapped beneath the rubble, raising concerns that the death toll could increase.
The tragedy adds to a series of fatal building and roof collapses reported across Pakistan in recent months, often raising questions about construction quality and safety enforcement.
In June, 14 children died when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore. Earlier that month, four children were killed and 20 people injured in a classroom roof collapse at a private school in Dera Ghazi Khan, in Punjab province.
In another incident, a house roof collapsed in Islamabad in August following three days of heavy rainfall, killing a couple and injuring their daughters.
The latest incident has renewed concerns about building safety at educational institutions.
With IANS inputs