At least 30 people, most of them schoolchildren, have reportedly died after the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, north-western Pakistan, prompting the arrest of the school’s owner and an investigation into the building’s structural safety.
The collapse occurred on Thursday morning, October 15, at Al-Khair School in the Dir Colony area of Peshawar. The incident trapped pupils and staff beneath the rubble, triggering an emergency rescue operation involving rescue workers, police and local residents.
Later reports put the death toll at 30, including 29 students and a female teacher, while more than 50 people were reported injured. Earlier figures were lower as hospitals and emergency teams continued to account for the casualties.
School Owner Arrested
Police confirmed that the owner of the school, which was reportedly operating as an educational trust, had been arrested following the disaster.
The Capital City Police Officer in Peshawar said preliminary investigations indicated that the building was structurally weak. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collapse and whether construction or safety requirements were breached.
The arrest does not itself establish criminal liability. Investigators will need to determine the cause of the collapse and whether any individuals or institutions failed to meet their legal responsibilities.
Children Trapped Under the Rubble
Emergency services were alerted at about 8:48 a.m. local time, according to officials cited in initial reports.
Rescue workers and residents searched the debris for hours amid concerns that more children could be trapped inside the building. The injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital, where an emergency was declared.
The school’s location on a narrow street reportedly complicated the evacuation of victims and access for emergency vehicles, with traffic congestion making it more difficult to transport the injured quickly.
Hospital officials said the affected children were predominantly between six and 12 years old, although other reports described the pupils as 13 or younger.
President Expresses Condolences
The office of Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari described the incident as a deeply painful tragedy that had shocked the country.
The disaster has renewed concerns about the structural safety of school buildings and the need for effective inspections and compliance with construction standards.
Authorities are expected to establish what caused the building to collapse and whether negligence or violations of safety requirements contributed to the deaths and injuries.
The investigation is ongoing, and the casualty figures may change as officials reconcile reports from hospitals and rescue teams.
