Roof Collapses During Morning Classes
The tragedy struck the Al-Khair Education Centre, a private school in the densely populated Dir Colony area of Peshawar, on Thursday morning. According to witnesses, the roof of the two-story building's upper floor gave way and crashed onto the first-floor roof, which then collapsed onto students attending lessons inside their classrooms.
Local residents were the first to reach the scene and helped evacuate victims before rescue teams arrived minutes later. Footage from the scene obtained by CNN showed ambulances racing through narrow streets toward the school, while crowds of residents and panicked parents gathered outside the building.
Emergency services spokesperson Bilal Faizi said more than 100 children were at the school at the time. At least 45 children were pulled from the rubble, and the search continued cautiously amid fears that more children remained buried under the debris.
Most Victims Under 13 Years Old
Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim confirmed that at least 27 children and one female teacher had been killed, with dozens more injured. All the children killed or injured were aged 13 or younger, with the youngest victim aged 7. The hospital declared an emergency and mobilized all medical staff to treat the victims.
Several of the injured were reported to be in critical condition. Outside the school and at Lady Reading Hospital, anguished parents sought information about their children, unsure whether they had survived, the Associated Press reported.
School Owner Arrested, Investigation Launched
Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed Ahmed said the private school's owner had been arrested and an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the roof collapse and any potential negligence. Early reports cited a structurally weak building, while other media pointed to heavy rainfall as the trigger.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep condolences over the loss of the students' lives. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi sought a report from the authorities and ordered the best possible medical care for the injured children. Provincial Education Secretary Inayatullah Waseem ordered the private-schools regulatory authority to submit a report within 24 hours.
The tragedy has once again highlighted weak oversight of school building safety in Pakistan. In July 2026, the roof of a tutoring center still under construction in Lahore collapsed, killing at least four children. The Peshawar local government plans to survey the safety of all private school buildings to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.
