At least 27 children and a teacher killed after school roof collapses in Pakistan

A private school in northern Pakistan collapsed on Thursday morning, killing at least 27 children and a teacher. The disaster struck during morning classes at the Al-Khair Education Center in Peshawar’s Dir Colony. Heavy rainfall was the trigger for the structural failure, which saw the roof of a higher floor cave in and crush classrooms below.

Rescue efforts were immediately launched, with emergency responders and local residents working desperately to reach victims trapped under the rubble. About 110 students were inside the affected classrooms at the time of the collapse, most under the age of 13. Hospital officials reported that 47 children were injured, with five suffering critical injuries.

The school’s owner has been arrested, and authorities have launched a formal inquiry into the incident. The tragedy has highlighted a larger issue of inadequate structural safety standards in Pakistan, where building collapses are a recurring problem.