PESHAWAR: The students of the school whose roof collapsed today share the horrifying details of the incident, revealing that rainwater used to leak through the roof whenever it rained.
Speaking to ARY News, a student said water dripped from the roof whenever it rained. Another student also confirmed that the roof leaked during rainfall.
One student recounted that she had gone to get a pen when the school roof collapsed. She said Miss Samreen, who was present in the nursery class, was killed in the incident.
The roof collapse has claimed 35 lives, while dozens of injured people remain under treatment at hospitals. Several of the injured are reported to be in critical condition.
Arrested school owner calls incident a natural disaster
Arrested school owner Khan Muhammad described the incident as a natural disaster, attributing the collapse to rainfall.
He claimed the building was new and had been constructed only a year and a half ago. He said the school had undergone surveys and inspections and denied that substandard construction materials had been used.
Khan Muhammad added that his own children also studied at the school.
Association blames principal, regulatory authority
Private School Association leader Inamullah Khan said the affected school was registered with the association, but its role was limited to granting membership. He said monitoring schools and ensuring proper checks and balances were the responsibility of the Private Schools Regulatory Authority.
He said the association had no knowledge that the building was in poor condition. Inamullah Khan held the school principal and the regulatory authority responsible, alleging that the authority had failed to inspect the building.
He also claimed that permission to construct a three-storey school building was not allowed in the area where the school was located.