At least 31 people, including 29 children and two female teachers, were killed when the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar’s Dir Colony on Thursday, while more than 50 children were injured, Aaj News reported citing hospital and rescue officials.
The injured children were shifted to hospitals for medical treatment, with 40 taken to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and 10 to Nasirullah Babar Hospital, rescue officials said.
The LRH administration confirmed that 29 children and two female teachers had been brought to the hospital dead.
Rescue teams, using heavy machinery, were searching the rubble for children and school staff who might still be trapped. The death toll was feared to rise.
The cause of the roof collapse was not immediately clear.
Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Mian Saeed Ahmad said around 110 children were present at the school when the incident occurred. He said the school owner had been taken into custody and a first information report (FIR) would be registered against the school’s owners.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department took notice of the incident and formed a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the causes of the collapse, examine the building’s structure and assess any administrative negligence.
The committee has been directed to submit a detailed report within 24 hours to establish responsibility.
Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi said according to initial reports, several children were feared trapped under the debris of the school roof in Dir Colony.
“Rescue 1122 ambulances and disaster response vehicles reached the scene and initiated relief operations. So far, Rescue 1122 has provided first aid to over 10 injured children and is shifting them to the hospital, while a search operation remains underway to locate others,” he said.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have expressed deep grief and sorrow over the tragic school accident in Peshawar, which resulted in the loss of lives and injuries to students and teachers.
“This heartbreaking tragedy has left the entire nation in shock,” the president said.
The president extended his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the families of the deceased and the bereaved.
He prayed to Almighty Allah to grant the departed souls a high place in Jannat-ul-Firdaus and to bestow strength and fortitude upon the grieving families to bear this irreparable loss.
President Zardari also prayed for the swift and complete recovery of those injured in the incident.
He directed the relevant authorities to ensure the best medical treatment for the injured and to extend all possible assistance to the affected families.
In a separate statement, PM Shehbaz expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for the early recovery of the injured, directing that all possible medical assistance be provided to them.
Earlier in June, at least 14 children were killed and several others injured when the roof of a tuition centre collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area. Around 30 children were attending classes at the time. Construction work was underway on the upper floor of the building, and rainfall had further weakened the girder-supported roof.
On March 30, 2026, three children lost their lives and two sustained critical injuries when the roof of a house collapsed during heavy rain in Warishmi Kallah Mandan area of Bannu district.