Families of children killed in Pakistan school roof collapse demand justice

Families of children who perished in a school roof collapse in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar are demanding justice, a day after the tragedy claimed the lives of over 30 pupils and a teacher. The disaster struck the Al-Khair School and Madrasa Darul Quran wa Niswan in Dir Colony on Thursday morning. Tailor Muhammad Wahab, whose 11-year-old nephew Hammad among the victims, implored the ruling authorities to ensure justice for the bereaved families.

He recounted that Hammad had been excelling in his studies before the tragic incident. Grief-stricken parents gathered outside the school to mourn their lost children, one of whom was seen in a picture on his mobile phone, dressed in red and gold.

The cause of the collapse, officials attributed to the dilapidated infrastructure of the school. Rescue workers described chaotic scenes as people rushed to pull children from the rubble. One witness recounted panic when his niece informed them of the building's collapse. Emergency services were seen working tirelessly to clear debris and pull out trapped children, some of whom were barely visible amidst the piles of rubble. The school owner has been detained pending further investigation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari expressed their deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives. Building collapses are all too common in Pakistan, a nation of over 240 million people, largely due to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials. In June, more than a dozen children were killed when a roof collapsed at a tutoring center in Lahore, while in 2025, 27 people were killed and 10 injured in a building collapse in Karachi's impoverished Lyari area.