At Least 28 Killed as School Roof Collapses in Peshawar

Peshawar: At least 27 students, most of them under the age of 13, and one teacher were killed on Thursday when the roof of a school collapsed on classrooms in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, authorities said, warning that the death toll could rise further.

The incident took place at the private Al-Khair Education Center in the city’s Dir Colony area, where lessons were under way at the time of the collapse. According to a rescue official, the roof of an upper floor gave way and fell onto the roof of the first floor, which in turn collapsed onto students in their classrooms.

Hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim said most of the victims were brought dead to Lady Reading Hospital, along with 20 others who had sustained injuries.

Government official Bilal Faizi said rescue teams were working to move the bodies and the injured to hospitals. Television footage showed ambulances rushing to the scene as rescue workers pulled injured students from the rubble.

District Emergency Officer Iftikhar Khan said that at least 45 children had so far been recovered from the debris, adding that there were reports of more children still trapped beneath the rubble.

Rescue operations were continuing at the site.