Symbolic imageSchool roof collapse in Peshawar kills dozens of pupils and a teacher
A school roof collapsed during morning classes in Peshawar on Thursday, killing a teacher and between 27 and 34 pupils, depending on the source. Police arrested the school's owner.
The roof of an upper floor of the private Al-Khair Education Center fell onto the classrooms below at 8:48 a.m. and crumpled two storeys, a rescue official said. A total of 110 students were in three classrooms. Rescue Department regional director Arif Khattak said most of the dead were under 13 and at least 45 people were injured, and the rescue lasted four to five hours. Early AFP reporting cited by Le Monde counted 27 children, while the Guardian and Jerusalem Post reported at least 34. Lady Reading Hospital said three children were in critical condition.
Owner arrested, relatives demand accountability
Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed blamed a weak structure whose roof was overloaded with construction, and said the owner was arrested and an investigation opened. Relatives accused the school of ignoring concerns about the building. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised a thorough investigation, and President Asif Ali Zardari called for one too.
Weak oversight of low-cost schools
The Guardian notes that Pakistan spends less than 1% of its GDP on education, leaving many families reliant on low-cost private schools in poorly maintained buildings. In June, at least 14 children died when a tutoring centre roof collapsed in Lahore.