School roof collapse kills at least 27 students and a teacher in Pakistan
Authorities said most students killed in the Peshawar school collapse were under 13, while rescuers searched the rubble and police warned the death toll could increase.
Peshawar, Pakistan. A roof collapsed during lessons at a private school in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 27 students and a teacher, authorities said. Most students who died were under 13, and officials warned that further deaths were possible.
Search for trapped children
Television footage showed ambulances speeding towards Al-Khair Education Center as rescuers brought bloodied students out of the debris.
District emergency officer Iftikhar Khan said teams had pulled out at least 45 children, with reports indicating that others remained trapped beneath the wreckage. Government official Bilal Faizi said rescuers were recovering bodies and transporting injured people to hospital.
Mohammad Asim, spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, said the facility had received 20 injured people and the majority of those killed.
Police warn toll may increase
Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed said only 47 of the 110 students occupying three classrooms when the collapse occurred had been rescued. He expressed concern that the number of deaths could increase.
According to a rescue official, a roof on an upper floor gave way, bringing the ceiling down onto students and crushing both storeys.
Investigation ordered
Authorities said they had ordered an inquiry into what caused the collapse. Saeed described the building as structurally weak and attributed the collapse to construction that had placed excessive weight on its roof.
School officials had not immediately commented.
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