School Roof Collapse in Peshawar Kills 34 Children and One Teacher

The roof of a two-storey private school in Peshawar collapsed on the morning of 15 October 2026, killing at least 34 children and one teacher. Most of the dead were under 13. Rescue workers spent four to five hours digging through debris in the narrow streets of Dir Colony.

Emergency services reached Al-Khair Education Centre at 08:48 local time. Bilal Faizi, a rescue official, said the roof of an upper-floor classroom gave way and brought ceilings below down with it. About 110 pupils were in the three affected classrooms: roughly 30 on the top floor, 40 in the middle and 45 on the ground floor. Prefabricated slabs rather than conventional reinforced concrete formed the upper roof.

Lady Reading Hospital reported 32 children and the teacher dead. Naseerullah Khan Babar Memorial Hospital recorded one more child. Mohammad Asim, the hospital spokesman, said the dead included 12 girls. Most victims came from low-income households. At least 45 children were injured, some critically with head trauma. Three remained in critical condition hours later.

Arif Khattak, regional director of the Rescue Department, said teams extracted more than 45 children. Police chief Mian Saeed Ahmed stated the building was structurally weak and overloaded. He ordered the owner arrested and warned the structure remained extremely dangerous. President Asif Ali Zardari called the incident a heart-wrenching tragedy and ordered a full investigation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said no parent should endure such pain and promised a thorough inquiry.

Almost half of Pakistani students attend private schools. Inspection of building safety is weak and rarely enforced, according to local education officials. The collapse occurred weeks after a fire at a hospital in Islamabad killed at least 14 newborns. Authorities have not released a final engineering report on the cause, though overnight rain and ongoing roof work were mentioned by witnesses.

Parents gathered outside the school and hospitals as ambulances ferried the injured. Television footage showed rescuers carrying bloodied children. The school owner remains in custody. Officials continue to search for any remaining trapped pupils, though the operation has largely shifted to recovery.