PESHAWAR: At least 33 children and a female teacher were killed and dozens of others injured after the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar’s Dir Colony on Thursday, October 15, prompting an investigation into the building’s structural safety and the enforcement of construction standards.
The incident occurred at Al-Khair Education Centre during morning classes, when students were inside the building. According to rescue officials, the roof of an upper floor collapsed onto classrooms below. Rescue teams, police personnel and local residents rushed to the site to retrieve victims and transport the injured to nearby hospitals. The narrow streets surrounding the school complicated access for emergency responders, while anxious parents gathered outside the building searching for their children.
Lady Reading Hospital declared an emergency to treat the casualties. Hospital officials reported that dozens of people had been injured, with some requiring urgent medical attention.
Police arrested the school’s owner as authorities began investigating the circumstances surrounding the collapse. Initial reports raised concerns about the building’s structural weakness and the possible use of substandard construction materials. The school owner reportedly attributed the weakening of the roof to recent rainfall, while investigators continued examining the cause of the disaster.
A case was registered against the school’s owners, shareholders and contractor, according to police reporting. The first information report alleged that substandard materials had been used in construction and that concerns had previously been raised about the deteriorating condition of the building.
The provincial government ordered an inquiry into the incident and called for inspections of school buildings across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to identify potentially unsafe structures. Authorities are expected to examine building conditions and recommend measures to prevent similar tragedies.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of life and called for appropriate medical care for the injured and assistance for affected families. The disaster has renewed concerns about the safety of educational institutions, particularly buildings operating without adequate structural safeguards. It also follows a roof collapse at a private tuition centre in Lahore in June that killed 14 children. The latest incident has intensified calls for stricter enforcement of building regulations, regular structural inspections and accountability for negligence. The investigation