Peshawar School Collapse Kills 17 Children
News Desk
PESHAWAR: At least 17 children were killed and more than 25 others injured when the roof of a private school collapsed in the Dir Colony area of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The injured children were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital, where they are receiving emergency medical treatment. Rescue teams are continuing search and recovery operations at the site, using heavy machinery to locate children and school staff feared trapped beneath the rubble. Officials have warned that the death toll could rise.
According to Lady Reading Hospital officials, 17 children were brought to the hospital dead, while more than 25 injured children were admitted to the emergency ward for treatment.
Following the collapse, personnel from Rescue 1122 and local residents launched rescue efforts to clear the debris and retrieve those trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
Provincial Information Adviser Samar Haroon Bilour expressed grief over the loss of young lives and extended her condolences to the bereaved families.
She directed the hospital administration to ensure the provision of timely and appropriate medical care to all injured children. Praising the swift response of rescue personnel, she said the provincial government was mobilising all available resources to recover those still trapped under the debris.
The incident has renewed concerns over the safety and maintenance of educational buildings across the country, following several similar tragedies reported this year.
On February 21, an eighth-grade student died when the shed roof of a government girls’ high school under construction collapsed in Sialkot.
On May 7, four students were killed after the roof of a classroom at a private school collapsed in Dera Ghazi Khan.
Similarly, on June 30, 14 children lost their lives when the roof of a tuition centre collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area. On July 2, an eight-year-old child died after part of a school building under construction collapsed in the city’s Baghbanpura area.
The latest incident has intensified concerns over structural safety standards and the need for regular inspections of school buildings to prevent further loss of life.
