At least 28 children killed in Pakistan school collapse

At least 28 children and their teacher are dead after a school roof collapsed in Pakistan.

The pupils were attending a private school in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

More than 50 people were injured, a hospital spokesman said. Six girls were among the dead.

Most ⁠of the victims were brought dead to the ​Lady Reading Hospital, along with 20 others who ​were wounded, hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim said.

Mr Asim said some of the injured were in a critical condition.

The hospital declared an emergency as medical staff treated the wounded.

The children are all believed to be under the age of 13.

Authorities said they fear the number of dead could rise.

Rescue officials said everyone trapped beneath the rubble had been freed and crews were clearing the debris.

Peshawar police chief Saeed Ahmed said the school's owner had been arrested.

He noted the building was structurally weak, though the cause is still under investigation.

A rescue official said the ceiling collapsed onto the students after the roof of a higher floor came down, crumpling the two storeys.

Police said "legal action will be taken against those responsible for negligence in the incident".

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There ​was no immediate comment from school officials.

The private ⁠Al-Khair Education Center school is located in Dir Colony of the ‌northern city.

Television footage showed ambulances rushing to the scene and rescue ​workers retrieving wounded students from the ​rubble.

According to witnesses, residents were among the first to reach the school in a congested neighbourhood in central Peshawar.

Rescue workers arrived within minutes, according to accounts from the scene.

A resident, Mohammad Khan, said rescuers carefully removed debris in an attempt to reach children and staff feared trapped under the collapsed roof.

Outside the school and at the state-run hospital, anguished parents were seeking information about their children.

Mahwish Zaman, an injured teacher speaking from a hospital bed, said that the three-story school had an estimated 1,200 students enrolled.

She said she was in her classroom when the roof collapsed and felt as if the sky had fallen. She regained consciousness in hospital.

Another resident, Samiullah Khan, said he rushed to the school after learning of the collapse and helped rescue three girls.

Mr Khan said his son, a pupil at the school, survived because he had stepped out of his classroom to drink water.

The provincial government said a committee had been formed to investigate the cause.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari expressed "deep grief and sorrow" over the "tragic school accident" in Peshawar, saying it has "shocked the entire nation".

In a statement on X, he extended his "heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and bereaved families".

He also called for a comprehensive investigation and stressed the need to ensure school buildings meet safety standards to prevent similar tragedies.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Faisal Karim Kundi also expressed sorrow over the collapse and sought a report from the relevant authorities about the cause.

He directed officials to provide the best possible medical care to the injured children.

Building collapses are common in the country, where construction standards are often poorly enforced.

In July, a roof collapsed at a tutoring centre under construction in Lahore, killing four schoolchildren.

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