- A roof collapse at a private school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killed at least 32 children and their teacher, with six girls among the dead
- More than 50 people were injured, and some remained in a critical condition after Lady Reading Hospital declared an emergency
- Peshawar police arrested the school's owner over the building's structural weakness as authorities feared the death toll could rise
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
At least 32 pupils and their teacher lost their lives on Wednesday after the roof of a three-storey private school in Peshawar, Pakistan, gave way, burying students under tonnes of debris. Six girls were among those killed.
The Al-Khair Education Centre, located in Dir Colony, a congested neighbourhood in the northern city, had an estimated 1,200 students enrolled at the time of the disaster.
Source: Twitter
According to Sky News, an injured teacher, Mahwish Zaman, stated this from a hospital bed at Lady Reading Hospital. All victims are believed to have been under 13 years of age.
Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim said most of the casualties were brought in already dead, alongside roughly 20 others who were wounded.
The hospital declared an emergency to cope with the influx of injured children, and Asim said several of the injured remained in a critical condition.
As reported by CNN News, Bilal Ahmed of the local rescue services said some children are still trapped in the rubble, and rescuers are working to reach them.
Asim Khan, spokesperson for the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, said forty-seven children were injured in the tragic incident.
How the collapse happened
A rescue official said the ceiling of a lower floor gave way after the roof of the floor above it came down, causing two storeys to crumple onto the students below.
Zaman said she was inside her classroom when the collapse occurred and only regained consciousness in hospital.
"It felt as if the sky had fallen," she said.
Residents were among the first to respond, reaching the school before rescue teams arrived. Samiullah Khan said he rushed to the scene after hearing news of the collapse and personally helped pull three girls from the rubble. His neighbour Mohammad Khan described rescuers carefully lifting debris in search of trapped children and staff.
Rescue officials later confirmed that everyone trapped beneath the wreckage had been freed and that crews were working to clear the site. Anguished parents gathered both outside the school and at the hospital, desperate for news about their children.
Arrests and investigations
Peshawar police chief Saeed Ahmed said the school's owner had been arrested. He said the building was structurally weak, though the precise cause of the collapse remained under investigation.
Police added that "legal action will be taken against those responsible for negligence in the incident." There was no immediate comment from school officials.
The provincial government said a committee had been set up to investigate. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed sorrow over the disaster and directed officials to ensure the best possible medical care was given to the injured children.
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said the tragedy had "shocked the entire nation," describing it as a "tragic school accident" and extending his "heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and bereaved families."
He called for a thorough investigation and urged authorities to ensure school buildings meet safety standards to prevent similar incidents in future.
Students escape as Lagos school building collapses
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that students of Yemco Nursery, Primary and Comprehensive College have recounted panic after part of a classroom block collapsed in the Ogba area of Lagos.
Authorities confirmed that no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded as students had been evacuated before the structure came down.
Residents said the building had shown signs of structural weakness prior to the collapse and had been marked for demolition.
Source: Legit.ng