Officials in Peshawar, Pakistan, confirmed on Thursday that at least 17 pupils died when a school roof collapsed in the Afridi Abad area of the city.
One teacher has also died, they said. The deceased, along with a dozen other injured people, were brought to Lady Reading Hospital as rescue workers rushed to clear the rubble and search for more survivors.
The cause of the disaster was not immediately clear.
Roof collapses becoming more regular
Local media in Pakistan noted that such incidents are becoming increasingly routine across the country, due to poor building standards and maintenance.
In July, three young girls were killed near Umerkot when the outer wall of a government school gave way. That same month, one child died and five were injured in Lahore when the roof of an under-construction private school collapsed.
One month earlier, 14 children were killed in a similar manner at a private tutoring facility in Lahore, which came shortly after yet another such incident in Dera Ghazi Khan.
Children killed in Pakistan roof collapse buried
Edited by: Natalie Muller
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