At least 21 people were killed and 21 others injured when the roof of Al Khair School collapsed in Peshawar’s Afridi Abad area, prompting an emergency rescue operation.
At least 21 people, including 20 students and a female teacher, were killed and 21 others injured when the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar’s Afridi Abad area on Thursday morning, trapping students and staff beneath the rubble.
The incident occurred at Al Khair School while students were attending classes. The sudden collapse brought down part of the building, triggering an emergency response as rescue teams rushed to the site to search for survivors and recover those trapped under the debris.
According to Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim, the deceased students included 18 boys and two girls aged between 7 and 12. Five of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.
The hospital declared an emergency to provide immediate medical treatment to the victims. Several injured students and teachers were shifted to nearby hospitals as rescue personnel continued their efforts at the scene.
Rescue teams worked to remove debris and locate people trapped beneath the collapsed structure. Initial reports had put the death toll lower, but the number of fatalities increased as rescue workers recovered more victims and hospitals updated their figures.
The tragedy prompted an outpouring of grief from officials and affected families. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the bereaved families.
The governor sought a detailed report on the incident and directed the relevant authorities to determine the cause of the collapse. He also instructed officials to ensure that the injured received the best possible medical care, describing the deaths of young students as a deeply painful tragedy.
The disaster also prompted desperate scenes as parents rushed to the school to find out whether their children had survived.
Samiullah, a parent who reached the site shortly after receiving a phone call, said he helped rescue three girls who were younger than 8 years old.
He said he arrived at around 9 a.m. and initially feared that his son, who studied on the ground floor, had also died. However, his son had left the classroom to drink water shortly before the collapse, narrowly avoiding the disaster.
The incident has renewed concerns about building safety and construction standards in Pakistan, where structural collapses have caused deaths and injuries. Questions are likely to focus on the condition of the school building, compliance with safety regulations and whether the structure had undergone the required inspections.
Authorities are expected to establish the exact cause of the collapse as the investigation proceeds. The incident has also highlighted the importance of enforcing building safety standards, particularly in schools where children spend much of their day.
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