By Naeema Saleem — SCN NEWS
PESHAWAR— At least 34 children and a female teacher were killed when the roof of a private school collapsed in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, authorities said, as rescuers searched through concrete debris and police launched an investigation into suspected structural failures.
The collapse occurred at the Al-Khair Education Center in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, during morning classes. Dozens of students were injured, with Reuters reporting at least 45 casualties requiring medical attention, while the Associated Press cited more than 50 injured people.
Police said the building appeared to have been weakened by additional construction that placed excessive weight on its supporting structure. The school's owner was arrested as investigators examined whether building regulations had been violated and whether the disaster could have been prevented.
Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed said preliminary findings indicated that the building was structurally weak and that the additional load had contributed to the collapse. Authorities said approximately 110 students were attending classes in three affected rooms when part of the structure gave way.
Rescue workers and local residents rushed to the school after the roof collapsed at around 8:48 a.m. local time. Emergency teams worked for hours to remove concrete slabs and recover children trapped beneath the rubble, while anxious parents gathered outside the building and nearby hospitals.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for emergency services, said rescue personnel arrived within minutes of receiving reports of the collapse. Nearly 100 emergency workers were deployed, supported by residents who helped clear debris and make way for ambulances along the narrow streets surrounding the school.
The injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital and other medical facilities in Peshawar, where emergency arrangements were made to treat children suffering from head injuries, fractures and other trauma. Hospital officials said the victims included boys and girls, many of them younger than 13.
Mohammad Asim, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital, confirmed that the dead included a female teacher. Medical teams continued treating injured students as authorities worked to identify the victims and notify their families.
The tragedy devastated families in the surrounding community, many of whom had sent their children to school only hours before the collapse. Television footage showed rescue workers carrying injured children through crowded streets as relatives searched for information about missing students.
A local resident, Samiullah Khan, told the Associated Press that he helped pull three girls from the wreckage. His own son survived after stepping outside his classroom shortly before the roof gave way.
An injured teacher, Mahwish Zaman, said she lost consciousness during the collapse and regained awareness in hospital. She described a school serving approximately 1,200 students, highlighting the number of families connected to the institution.
Authorities said the rescue operation had been completed after emergency teams searched the affected sections of the building. Workers continued clearing debris while investigators assessed the remaining structure for possible safety risks.
The school's owner was taken into custody after police identified suspected construction deficiencies. The Associated Press reported that the owner attributed the collapse to recent rainfall, while police pointed to the building's weakened structure and additional construction as possible contributing factors.
Investigators have not yet issued a final technical determination of the cause. The arrest forms part of an ongoing inquiry and does not establish criminal responsibility.
The provincial government established an investigation committee to examine the building's condition, construction history and compliance with safety requirements. Officials were expected to review whether the school had undergone appropriate inspections and whether any structural alterations had been properly authorized.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the deaths and directed authorities to provide medical assistance to the injured and support to affected families. President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences and called for a comprehensive investigation into the disaster.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi sought a report from the relevant authorities and urged officials to ensure treatment for injured students.
The collapse has renewed concerns about safety standards in Pakistan's educational institutions, particularly privately operated schools serving low-income communities. Some schools operate in buildings originally designed for residential or commercial purposes, raising questions about structural capacity, overcrowding and regulatory oversight.
Building safety specialists have warned that adding floors or increasing the weight placed on existing structures without adequate engineering assessments can create serious risks. Such concerns are particularly acute in densely populated urban neighborhoods, where older buildings may be adapted for educational use.
Pakistan has struggled with uneven enforcement of construction standards and limited resources for inspecting educational facilities. The Peshawar disaster is likely to intensify calls for authorities to examine whether existing regulations are being followed and whether schools operating in vulnerable buildings require urgent safety assessments.
The tragedy also highlights the consequences of inadequate oversight in a country where millions of families depend on affordable private education. Parents often have limited information about the structural safety of school buildings, making government inspections and enforcement particularly important.
Authorities have not announced whether additional arrests will follow or whether other educational institutions will be inspected as part of the investigation.
For families mourning the victims, the immediate priority remains identifying those responsible and determining whether warning signs were overlooked. The inquiry is expected to establish whether the collapse resulted from unauthorized construction, inadequate maintenance or other failures.
As Peshawar mourns the children and teacher killed in the disaster, the investigation will test whether authorities can translate the findings into stronger safeguards for students across the province.