Twenty-seven pupils and a teacher were killed and more than 30 people injured after a roof collapsed at a school in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Thursday, according to a hospital official.
Asim Khan of Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital confirmed the death toll to AFP, saying six of the injured were believed to be in critical condition.
Emergency rescue teams were deployed to the site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after the collapse left children crushed and trapped beneath the debris.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesman for the provincial emergency rescue service, said the roof of one structure had fallen onto another, crushing a classroom below and trapping children inside.
“When the Rescue 1122 emergency response teams arrived at the scene, they found that one roof had collapsed on to another, causing the classroom below to be crushed and trapping children inside,” Faizi said.
He warned that more pupils could still be buried beneath the rubble as rescue operations continued.
Authorities deployed 16 ambulances, two disaster response vehicles and more than 60 rescue personnel to the site. Images released by emergency services showed workers wearing high-visibility vests moving debris, broken building materials and dirt in an effort to reach those trapped. AFP journalists reported seeing dozens of people gathered at the scene.
The cause of the collapse was not immediately confirmed. However, local resident Sher Ahmed blamed what he described as substandard construction materials and called on authorities to investigate the incident.
“With profound grief and sorrow, I urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take strict action against anyone found responsible so that such tragedies can be prevented in the future,” Ahmed said.
Pakistan’s leaders express condolences
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life and offered condolences to the families of the victims.
“The Prime Minister extends his condolences to the bereaved families and prays for them to have the strength and patience to bear this irreparable loss,” a statement from his office said.
President Asif Ali Zardari described the incident as a heartbreaking tragedy, saying the nation shared the grief of the affected families.
Building and roof collapses are a recurring problem in Pakistan, where poor construction practices and inadequate safety standards have contributed to deadly incidents.
In June, more than a dozen children were killed when the roof of a tutoring centre collapsed in the eastern city of Lahore.
In 2025, a five-storey building collapsed in Lyari, a low-income neighbourhood in the southern port city of Karachi, killing 27 people and injuring 10 others.
The Peshawar disaster has renewed concerns over the safety of buildings used by children and the need for effective inspections and accountability when construction standards are suspected of contributing to such incidents.
