At least 34 children and a teacher were killed and 20 others injured after the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Thursday, police and hospital authorities said.
The collapse occurred at Al-Khair School in Dir Colony, a densely populated area of the city. Peshawar Capital City Police chief Mian Saeed said around 30 students were in classrooms on the upper floor when the roof gave way.
Thirty-two children and a teacher were brought dead to Lady Reading Hospital, hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim told PTI. Two other bodies were taken to Naseerullah Khan Babar Memorial Hospital.
Twenty injured children were admitted to Lady Reading Hospital, most of whom were discharged after receiving first aid. Three children with critical head injuries remained under treatment. All the victims were aged 13 or younger, Asim said.
An emergency was declared at the hospital, while Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir said all those trapped under the debris had been rescued. He also ordered an inquiry into the collapse.
Police said the building's owner, who ran the institution as an education trust, had been arrested. The three-storey structure was poorly constructed, Saeed said, adding that authorities would investigate possible violations of building regulations and fix responsibility for negligence.
The building's location in narrow lanes hampered rescue operations, the police chief said. Army personnel and other rescue agencies joined the operation, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed directed officials to establish a green corridor for the uninterrupted movement of ambulances.
Provincial Education Secretary Inayatullah Waseem directed the managing director of the Private Schools Regulatory Authority to submit a report on the incident by Friday.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the deaths and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families. Sharif also directed authorities to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also expressed condolences and called for the recovery of the injured.
(With inputs from PTI)