Death toll after school roof collapse in Pakistan rises to 35
At least 35 people, including 34 students and a teacher, were killed and more than 45 others were injured when the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, on Thursday, Qazinform News Agency cites Al Jazeera.
The accident occurred at the Al-Khair Education Centre, a three-storey school in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Many of the victims were children aged between six and 12, while some of the injured remain in critical condition.
Mohammad Asim, spokesman for Lady Reading Hospital, where many victims were transported, said the fatalities include 12 girls and a female teacher.
Rescue teams, assisted by parents and local residents, worked for hours to pull victims from the rubble. Authorities said all those trapped had been recovered by the end of the operation.
Officials believe the building was structurally weak. Police arrested the school's owner, while an investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the collapse. The owner reportedly blamed recent heavy rains for weakening part of the structure.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to the victims' families, with officials pledging a full investigation into the disaster.
It was reported earlier at least 29 killed as school roof collapsed in NW Pakistan.