Pakistan orders school inspections following deadly roof collapse

Families demand justice for the 35 people killed; relatives say they had warned that the roof was leaking.

Authorities in Pakistan have ordered inspections of regional schools after the collapse of a classroom roof killed at least 34 children and a teacher.

Reports on Friday said that the government has ordered the administration of the northeastern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to launch the checks after the deadly incident at Al-Khair school on Thursday.

At least 34 students aged 13 or younger, as well as a teacher, were killed in the roof collapse.

There are conflicting reports about whether the inspections will cover both public and private schools or only private schools. The province’s education department has been given three days to report its findings, according to The Associated Press news agency.

Schools are to be classified as safe, in need of repairs or improvements, or potentially unsafe. Various structures will be assessed, including roofs, ceilings, walls and staircases.

Police arrested Mohammad Khan, the owner of Al-Khair school, shortly after the roof of mud and bricks collapsed.

The building was structurally weak, according to Peshawar Police Chief Saeed Ahmed, who also said that Khan had told officers that recent rains had weakened the structure.

Bereaved families are demanding justice, with some of the victims’ relatives maintaining that they had warned Khan about rainwater repeatedly seeping into classrooms.

Dozens of mourners gathered outside the school on Friday to remember those who died.

Pakistan’s construction standards are widely reported to be poor and builders commonly use substandard materials.

The roof of a private tutoring centre in the eastern city of Lahore collapsed in June, killing 14 people.