Pakistan School Roof Collapse Kills 28, Including 27 Pupils

At least 28 people, including 27 pupils and a teacher, have been killed after a school roof collapsed in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, according to a hospital official.

The incident occurred on Thursday, with more than 30 people injured, including six who were reported to be in critical condition, Asim Khan of Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital told AFP.

A spokesman for the emergency rescue service in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Bilal Ahmad Faizi, said children were crushed and trapped when the roof gave way, causing a classroom beneath it to collapse.

“When the Rescue 1122 emergency response teams arrived at the scene, they found that one roof had collapsed onto another, causing the classroom below to be crushed and trapping children inside,” Faizi said.

He added that rescuers feared more pupils could still be trapped beneath the rubble.

According to the spokesman, emergency responders deployed 16 ambulances, two disaster response vehicles and more than 60 personnel to the scene to assist with rescue operations.

Images released by the provincial emergency service showed rescue workers wearing high-visibility vests clearing debris, rubble and dirt in an effort to locate survivors.

Residents expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the collapse, with one resident, Sher Ahmed, blaming what he described as substandard construction materials and calling for an investigation.

“With profound grief and sorrow, I urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take strict action against anyone found responsible so that such tragedies can be prevented in the future,” Ahmed said.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and extended condolences to the affected families.

“The Prime Minister extends his condolences to the bereaved families and prays for them to have the strength and patience to bear this irreparable loss,” a statement from his office said.

President Asif Ali Zardari also described the incident as a heartbreaking tragedy, saying the country shared the grief of the victims’ families.

“In this hour of grief, the entire nation shares the sorrow of the affected families,” he said.

The tragedy has renewed concerns about building safety and construction standards in Pakistan, where structural collapses have claimed numerous lives over the years.

In June, more than a dozen children were reportedly killed when a roof collapsed at a tutoring centre in Lahore, eastern Pakistan.

In 2025, another 27 people died and 10 others were injured when a five-storey building collapsed in Lyari, a deprived neighbourhood in Karachi.

Authorities face renewed calls to investigate the Peshawar incident, establish the cause of the collapse and take measures to prevent similar tragedies.