Peshawar: At least 27 students, most of them below the age of 13, and a teacher were killed after the roof of a private school collapsed during classes in Peshawar, north-west Pakistan. Local authorities warned that the death toll could increase as rescue teams continued searching for children trapped beneath the debris.
Rescue Teams Search For Trapped Students
Television footage showed ambulances rushing to the al-Khair Education Center as rescue workers pulled bloodied students from the rubble.
“We have taken out at least 45 children,” district emergency officer Iftikhar Khan said, adding that more children were believed to be trapped under the debris.
Government official Bilal Faizi said rescue teams were recovering bodies and transporting injured students to hospitals.
Injured Students Taken To Hospital
At least 20 injured students were admitted to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim said.
According to a rescue official, the ceiling collapsed onto the students after the roof of an upper floor gave way, causing two storeys of the building to crumple.
110 Students Were In Affected Classrooms
Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed said 110 students were present in the three affected classrooms when the collapse occurred. Of these, only 47 had been rescued, raising fears that the death toll could rise further.
“It was a weak building structure,” Saeed added. “Its roof was overweight with construction on a weak structure that caused the collapse.”
Investigation Ordered Into Collapse
Authorities have ordered an investigation to establish the cause of the roof collapse. There was no immediate response from school officials regarding the incident.
