Families of 34 children killed in Pakistan school roof collapse demand justice

Families of children killed in a school roof collapse in northwest Pakistan are demanding justice, a day after over 30 pupils and a teacher were crushed to death. A woman teacher and 34 students, mostly under 14, lost their lives when the building in Peshawar collapsed on Thursday morning. The parents of all these children must receive justice, expressed Muhammad Wahab, whose 11-year-old nephew Hammad perished in the tragedy.

Hammad had been doing well in school before the disaster. On Friday, dozens of mourners gathered outside the school to commemorate the children lost in the collapse, which authorities attribute to deteriorated infrastructure. A heartbroken father presented AFP with a photograph of his young daughter, dressed in red and gold, who also fell victim to the catastrophe.

Another parent, Asadullah, lamented the loss of his son, nephew, and three other relatives. Initially, rescue workers described harrowing scenes as people rushed to extricate children from the rubble. Sohail recounted that when his niece arrived home to alert him of the collapse, everyone panicked. Upon reaching the scene, he witnessed around 10 to 15 children trapped beneath the debris, with rubble covering their necks.

As the official in Peshawar explained, initial reports point to weak infrastructure as the cause of the roof collapse. The school owner has been apprehended by authorities. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari both expressed profound sorrow over the loss of innocent lives in statements shared on social media.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Pakistan due to substandard construction and poor safety standards. Just last month, a roof collapse at a tutoring center in Lahore claimed the lives of more than a dozen children, while a five-story building's collapse in Karachi's Lyari district left 27 people dead and 10 injured in 2025.