Pakistan: 27 students and one teacher killed in school roof collapse in Peshawar

Twenty-eight people, including 27 students and a teacher, were killed when the roof of a private school collapsed while students were in their classrooms in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, on Thursday. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as search and rescue operations continue.

The incident occurred at Al-Khair Educational School in the Der Colony area of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, when the roof of the upper floor collapsed onto the first-floor ceiling, causing it to crumble and fall on the students inside the classrooms.

Officials said most of the student victims were under the age of 13. The injured were transported to Lady Reading Hospital in the city, where a hospital spokesperson reported that 20 patients had been admitted and an emergency status was declared to provide necessary medical care, noting that some of the injured were in critical condition.

Area emergency official Iftikhar Khan said rescue teams had managed to extract at least 45 children from the rubble, while other children were still believed to be trapped under the debris, raising fears that the number of casualties could increase.

Peshawar police chief stated that the building was structurally weak, noting that only 47 of the 110 students present in three classrooms at the time of the collapse were rescued. Authorities have ordered an investigation to determine the causes of the collapse. Additionally, the Associated Press reported that the school’s owner was arrested in connection with the incident.