Pakistanupdated 2h ago2 min read
Peshawar School Roof Collapse Kills At Least 28, Owner Arrested
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Death toll ranges from 28 to 34 killed, including a teacher. Roof collapsed at Al-Khair Education Center in Peshawar during classes.
Peshawar school roof collapse
A roof collapse at a private school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killed at least 28 people, with authorities and a hospital official saying the dead included at least 34 children and a teacher, while more than 50 others were injured. Lady Reading Hospital spokesman Mohammad Asim said the children killed or injured at Al-Khair school were between 6 and 12 years old, while the oldest was 14, and he said some injured people were in critical condition.
Emergency services spokesperson Bilal Faizi said emergency crews cleared debris after rescuers pulled everyone trapped beneath the rubble out, and he said the roofs of two classrooms collapsed when second- and third-grade children were in them with their teachers. Peshawar police chief Saeed Ahmed said the school owner had been arrested, and he said the building was structurally weak while police said the owner blamed this week’s rains for weakening one of the roofs.
Conflicting death tolls
Al Jazeera said the roof collapse in Peshawar killed at least 28 students and a teacher and injured more than 50 others, and it said the incident happened on Thursday at Al-Khair Education Centre, a private school in Peshawar. Al-Sharq li-Al-Akhbar said at least 27 students and one teacher were killed when the roof of a private school collapsed during class in Peshawar, and it said fears remained that the death toll could rise.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that at least 35 people were killed on Thursday when the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, and it said Lady Reading Hospital’s administration said 20 children were injured. BBC reported that at least 34 people had died after a school roof collapsed in Peshawar, and it said police would “conduct a thorough inquiry” while the owner of the school had been arrested.
Investigation and safety
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Gov. Faisal Karim Kundi expressed sorrow over the collapse and sought a report from relevant authorities about the cause, and he directed officials to provide the best possible medical care to injured children.
The provincial government said a committee had been formed to investigate the cause of the roof collapse of the three-story building, and Lady Reading Hospital declared an emergency as medical staff treated the wounded.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the deaths and offered condolences to bereaved families in separate statements, and Zardari called for a comprehensive investigation into the collapse.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, “There should be no compromise whatsoever on the safety of children in educational institutions,” as police said “gross negligence” was behind the collapse and the owner had been arrested.