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School roof crashes in Peshawar, 34 children and one teacher killed

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 16, 2026•3 min read

The roof of Al-Khair private school in Peshawar, Pakistan, collapsed on Thursday (15/10/2026) during class hours: 34 children and 1 teacher were killed, 45 injured. Police called the structure of the building weak and arrested the school owner; the government ordered an inspection of the entire private school.

Key Facts

The roof of the private school Al-Khair Education Center in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan, collapsed on Thursday morning (15/10/2026) while school hours were on. At least 34 schoolchildren and one female teacher were killed, while 45 other children were injured.
Most of the victims were under the age of 13 and were from low-income families, according to Lady Reading Hospital spokesman Mohammad Asim.
A total of 110 students were studying in three classrooms when the upper roof crashed into two floors below.
Police chief Peshawar called the building structure weak and the roof overloaded due to additional construction. The school owner, Mohammad Khan, was arrested and an official investigation was launched.
The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ordered an inspection of all private schools in the province after relatives of the victims claimed to have warned of the weak condition of the building. The district was asked to report the findings within three days and classified the school building as safe, needed repair, or potentially unsafe.

The roof of the school in Peshawar was shattered during class hours

A devastating tragedy occurred in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Thursday morning (15/10/2026). The roof of the private school Al-Khair Education Center collapsed during class hours, killing at least 34 schoolchildren and a female teacher. At least 45 other children were injured, ranging from mild injuries to severe trauma.

Most of the victims are under the age of 13 and come from low-income families. Lady Reading Hospital spokesman Mohammad Asim said 12 female schoolchildren and one female teacher were among the dead.

A total of 110 students were studying in three classrooms when the upper roof crashed into two floors below them. The rescue team spent four to five hours lifting the children from the rubble, while the panicked parents gathered on the site looking for loved ones.

Police: Building structure weak, owner arrested

The head of the Peshawar police, Mian Saeed, called the weak structure of the building the main cause. “The overload caused by additional construction on the weak structure, thus causing collapse,” he said.

Police arrested the owner of the school, Mohammad Khan, and launched an official investigation. The sad victim's relatives accused the school of ignoring concerns about the condition of the building and claiming responsibility. One family member claimed to have warned the school owner about a roof leakage.

Pakistan orders inspection of all private schools

The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ordered an inspection of all private schools following the tragedy. The order seen by the AP news agency instructed the education service to form a district committee to inspect private school buildings throughout the province and deliver findings and recommendations within three days.

Inspections included roofs, ceilings, walls, columns, bars, foundations, and stairs, both on own and rented buildings. The district was asked to classify school buildings as safe, need repair, or potentially unsafe. Samar government spokesman Haroon Bilour expressed his mourning and urged parents to report schools that occupy buildings with weak structures.