At least 35 killed in Peshawar school roof collapse

At least 34 children and a female teacher were killed when the roof of a private school collapsed during morning classes in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, police and rescue officials said Thursday. Earlier hospital reports gave lower totals as rescue operations continued.

The collapse occurred at the Al-Khair Education Center, where students were trapped after an upper roof fell onto the floor below and crushed classrooms. The Japan Times reported that rescuers spent hours pulling children from the rubble, while hospital and official accounts said dozens were injured. Most of the children killed were younger than 13, according to officials cited by Reuters.

Officials offered differing initial explanations for the collapse. A local rescue official told CNN that heavy overnight rain had destabilized the two-story building. Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed Ahmed said the structure was weak and had been overloaded by construction on its roof.

Police arrested the school’s owner and opened an investigation, including whether building codes had been violated. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also ordered a report into the cause and directed authorities to conduct structural safety audits of educational institutions across the province.

Pakistan’s president and prime minister expressed condolences to the victims’ families. Parents and other relatives gathered at the school as emergency crews cleared the debris.