Pakistan school collapse toll rises to at least 33 pupils and a teacher

Hospital officials said at least 33 pupils and a teacher were killed after a school roof collapsed in Peshawar, in northwestern Pakistan.

A rescue official said emergency services were alerted at 08:48 on Thursday, after lessons had begun at the private Al-Khair school in Dir Colony.

Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed said classrooms on three floors had collapsed, revising earlier accounts of two affected floors. He said about 30 pupils were in the top classroom, 40 in the middle and 45 on the ground floor.

Saeed said the structure had substandard roof slabs and was carrying more weight than it could bear.

The school's narrow street allowed only one vehicle through at a time, making it difficult for rescuers to reach the site and transport injured people to hospitals.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi ordered a safety audit of all schools in the province to identify risks and ensure immediate corrective measures where necessary.

A hospital spokesman said at least 28 students and a teacher were killed when the roof of a school in northwestern Pakistan collapsed. More than 20 other people were injured in the collapse, the spokesman said.

Rescuers were searching for survivors after Thursday's collapse at Al-Khair Education Centre, a private school in Peshawar. The city is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Hospital spokesman Mohammad Asim confirmed the casualties and said some of the injured were in critical condition. He said every child killed or injured in the incident was 13 years old or younger.

Lady Reading Hospital declared an emergency as its medical staff treated people wounded in the collapse.

Authorities said an investigation had been ordered to determine the cause of the roof collapse.

School roof collapse in Pakistan kills 28 students and a teacher, hospital says

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