Dozens of children killed as school roof collapses in Pakistan's Peshawar

The collapse at Al-Khair School in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, happened on 15 October while lessons were under way. A spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital told Dawn that 32 students and a female teacher had died. The Associated Press, citing authorities, put the toll at no fewer than 34 children and one teacher, with more than 50 people injured.

According to AP, the school had about 1,200 pupils from nursery to fifth grade, and the roofs of two classrooms in the three-storey building fell while second- and third-grade children were inside. An emergency services spokesperson said about 100 rescuers took part and that the quick response saved many lives. District officials later said all debris had been cleared.

Weak structure blamed

Peshawar's police chief, Mian Saeed Ahmed, said the building was structurally weak and that additional construction on top of it had overloaded the roof. Police arrested the school's owner, who blamed this week's rain for weakening one of the roofs, AP reported. The investigation is continuing.

The provincial government has set up a committee to investigate. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi ordered a detailed report and a structural safety audit of educational institutions across the province, while President Asif Ali Zardari called for a full inquiry and checks on school building standards. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed condolences.

Building and roof collapses are frequent in Pakistan, where construction rules are often poorly enforced and substandard materials are common, Dawn noted. Several other school and tuition-centre collapses have killed children in the country this year.

Sources

The Kathmandu Post (Dawn/ANN) (external link); The Himalayan Times (AP) (external link)