Peshawar School Roof Collapse Kills Dozens of Children

The roof of the private Al-Khair School in Peshawar's Afridi Abad area, also known as Dir Colony, collapsed on Thursday morning while students were in classrooms. Rescue 1122 officials said the upper floor's mud-and-wood roof fell onto the first floor where roughly 110 children were present.

Death tolls vary across official sources. Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim initially confirmed 28 dead, including 27 students and one teacher, with 19 injured. Hours later, he revised the toll to 33 dead — 32 students and one teacher — with 20 injured brought to the hospital. Minute Mirror reported at least 30 dead, including 29 children and a teacher, with 52 injured.

“Its roof was overweight with construction on a weak structure that caused the collapse.”

Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir confirmed the rescue operation had concluded and all debris had been cleared. An emergency was declared at Lady Reading Hospital, where five of the injured were listed in critical condition; three children with severe head injuries remained under treatment.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed grief and ordered a detailed report to determine the cause. Capital City Police Officer Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed told AFP the building had a weak structure overloaded by construction on the roof.

Minute Mirror highlighted a similar collapse in Kahna, Lahore, in June that killed 14 children, noting identical construction flaws: mud roofs, termite-damaged wooden beams, overweight water tanks, and residential buildings converted into schools without safety certificates.