27 pupils, teacher killed as school roof collapses during lessons

At least 27 pupils and a teacher have died after a school roof collapsed in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, leaving several others injured.

The incident occurred on Thursday morning at Al-Khair School in Dir Colony, shortly after classes began.

According to the BBC, emergency services received reports of the collapse at 08:48 local time.

Rescue official Bilal Faizi said the roof of an upstairs classroom collapsed onto another classroom below.

“The children in the affected classroom were trapped under the debris,” he said.

More than a dozen people sustained injuries, while several children were feared trapped beneath the rubble.

Rescue operations were reportedly hampered by narrow access roads surrounding the school.

Authorities arrested the school’s owner as investigations commenced.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi subsequently ordered safety inspections across schools in the province.

“We cannot allow the safety of our children to be compromised,” he declared.

The tragedy follows another school building collapse near Lahore four months earlier, which killed 14 children.