Safety Concern / School Roof Collapse Claims 18 Lives, Injures 30

Islamabad, Oct 15: A tragic incident struck Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday when the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, killing at least 17 children and one female teacher.

According to local media reports, more than 30 others sustained injuries, and many of them critical.

Muhammad Asim, spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital, confirmed the casualties and said an emergency had been declared at the facility. “All the children were aged 13 years and below,” he stated, adding that several injured students were undergoing treatment.

Also read: Multi-Storey Building Collapses in Northeast Delhi's Seemapuri

Rescue teams rushed to the site immediately after the collapse. Ambulances and disaster response vehicles launched operations to pull survivors from the rubble, while Rescue 1122 provided first aid to over eight children before transferring them to hospital. Authorities fear the death toll could rise as more victims may be trapped.

The Express Tribune reported that roof and building collapses remain a recurring problem in Pakistan, often linked to poor safety enforcement and substandard construction materials. In August, a couple died and their daughters were injured when their house roof caved in after heavy rains in Islamabad.

Earlier in June, 14 children were killed when the roof of a tuition centre collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area. Less than two months before that, four children died and 20 others were injured in a similar classroom collapse in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Another June incident in Gujrat saw one labourer killed and three injured after the roof of an under‑construction building gave way.