PESHAWAR: At least 21 children and a schoolteacher have been killed and 47 others injured after a school roof collapsed in the Dir Colony area of Peshawar, ARY News reported on Thursday, quoting Rescue 1122.
According to initial reports, the incident resulted in multiple casualties, with the death toll reaching 22. A total of 47 people have reportedly sustained injuries.
A schoolteacher was also among those killed in the collapse.
SP Peshawar City said rescue operations are continuing following a school roof collapse.
The police official said authorities were gathering details to determine the total number of children enrolled at the school. Preliminary information indicated that around 75 children had been present in three classrooms.
The injured are being shifted to hospitals, while rescue teams are making efforts to evacuate the children as quickly as possible, the SP City said. However, narrow streets in the area are creating difficulties for rescue teams and hampering the ongoing operation.
Further details regarding the circumstances of the incident and the condition of the injured are awaited.
Earlier this year, a child was killed and four people were injured when the roof of a school building collapsed during a summer camp in the Baghbanpura area of Lahore.
Rescue 1122 officials said the incident occurred during renovation work at the school where a summer camp was underway and a number of children were present.
Following the collapse, police and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the injured to hospital. One critically injured child later succumbed to injuries. He was identified as eight-year-old Abu Bakar.
The injured include workers identified as 35-year-old Khizar, 38-year-old Shakeel, 32-year-old Abdul Latif and 42-year-old Nazeer.
Officials said that other children present at the site were rescued safely.