School roof collapse kills at least 34 children and a teacher in Pakistan

The roof of an upper-floor classroom at the private Al-Khair school in Peshawar caved in on Thursday morning after lessons had begun, bringing down the ceilings below and trapping children under the debris.

At least

34 students killed, aged 13 or younger

At least 34 students aged 13 or younger and a teacher were killed, and others were injured, some critically.

Police arrested the school's owner. Peshawar's police chief said the mud-and-brick building was structurally weak, and relatives say they had warned the owner about rainwater seeping into classrooms.

How schools will be classed

• Safe
• In need of repairs or improvements
• Potentially unsafe

The government ordered inspections of schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the province's education department has three days to report. Each school is to be classed as safe, in need of repairs or potentially unsafe.

Background

In June, the roof of a private tutoring centre in Lahore collapsed, killing 14 people.