At least 33 pupils and teacher killed after school roof collapses in Pakistan
News Source
β’Thu, 15 Oct 2026 15:26:16 GMT
π° What Happened
At least 33 pupils and a teacher were killed when a school roof collapsed in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. More than a dozen others were injured, some critically. The roof of an upper-floor classroom at the private Al-Khair school fell during lessons and crashed through classrooms below, trapping children under the rubble. Police arrested the school's owner and promised to check whether building codes were broken.
π The Backstory
Officials said the building had been put up on a temporary basis with weak roof slabs, and was carrying more weight than it could bear. The school sits on a narrow street, which slowed down rescuers trying to reach children and move the injured to hospital.
Families accused the school of ignoring safety warnings. In June 2026, 14 children died when the roof of a tuition centre near Lahore collapsed, and in August, 14 newborn babies died in a fire at an Islamabad hospital that an inquiry found had no fire alarms.
π― Why It Matters
The deaths point to weak and uneven enforcement of building safety rules in Pakistan, where many private schools operate with little inspection. The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has ordered a safety audit of every school in the province. But similar promises after earlier disasters have not stopped more children from dying.
At least 33 pupils and a teacher were killed when a school roof collapsed in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. More than a dozen others were injured, some critically. The roof of an upper-floor classroom at the private Al-Khair school fell during lessons and crashed through classrooms below, trapping children under the rubble. Police arrested the school's owner and promised to check whether building codes were broken.
Officials said the building had been put up on a temporary basis with weak roof slabs, and was carrying more weight than it could bear. The school sits on a narrow street, which slowed down rescuers trying to reach children and move the injured to hospital.
Families accused the school of ignoring safety warnings. In June 2026, 14 children died when the roof of a tuition centre near Lahore collapsed, and in August, 14 newborn babies died in a fire at an Islamabad hospital that an inquiry found had no fire alarms.
The deaths point to weak and uneven enforcement of building safety rules in Pakistan, where many private schools operate with little inspection. The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has ordered a safety audit of every school in the province. But similar promises after earlier disasters have not stopped more children from dying.