In brief
In a devastating event in north‑western Pakistan, an upper‑floor roof at the Al‑Khair private school in Dir Colony collapsed, engulfing three classrooms. At least 33 children and a teacher died, while dozens were injured, some critically. Emergency responders struggled to reach the narrow street, and rescue efforts revealed possible building code violations. Police and provincial authorities have called for a safety audit of all schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and arrested the school owner. The incident follows a series of recent tragedies linked to unsafe construction in the region.
At least 33 pupils and a teacher were killed after a roof collapsed at the Al‑Khair private school in Peshawar, hospital officials confirmed.
More than a dozen others sustained injuries, some in critical condition, and several children are feared trapped beneath the rubble.
The incident occurred early Monday as lessons began. The upper‑floor roof fell, sending debris that crashed through the ceilings of the two floors below, crushing a total of three classrooms.
Emergency services were delayed because the school sits in a narrow alley that only one vehicle can pass at a time, hampering rapid access to the scene and transport of the wounded to hospitals.
Police Chief Mian Saeed accused the building of gross negligence, noting that the roof slabs were substandard and overloaded beyond safe limits. He said the owner has been arrested and the structure remains extremely dangerous.
In response, the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faisal Karim Kundi, ordered a safety audit of all schools in the province to identify potential risks and mandate immediate corrective measures.
The tragedy follows a pattern of unsafe construction in Pakistan: four months earlier, a private tuition centre near Lahore collapsed, killing fourteen children, and in August a neonatal unit in Islamabad suffered a fatal fire due to missing fire alarms and sprinklers.
