At least 27 children killed in Pakistan school roof collapse, with death toll feared to rise

At least 27 students, many of them younger than 13, lost their lives when a roof collapsed at a school in Peshawar, north-west Pakistan. A teacher also perished in the tragedy, with the death toll potentially rising as more bodies are recovered. Local authorities reported that the number of rescued students could reach 47 out of the 110 individuals present in three classrooms at the time of the collapse.

Images of ambulances racing to the scene and rescuers pulling injured children from the rubble circulated on television. District emergency officer Iftikhar Khan stated that at least 45 children had been extracted from the ruins, with more bodies still buried within. Rescue teams worked tirelessly to recover victims and transport the injured to Lady Reading Hospital.

Mohammad Asim, the hospital's spokesperson, confirmed that 20 of the injured were admitted to the facility. A rescue official mentioned that the ceiling had fallen after the roof of an upper floor gave way, causing the two-story building to crumple. Authorities have ordered an investigation to ascertain the cause of the collapse.

Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed attributed the death toll to a weak building structure, noting that the roof was overloaded due to additional construction on a fragile foundation. School officials have not yet commented on the incident.