At least 33 pupils and teacher killed after school roof collapses in Pakistan

What the report says

At least 33 pupils and one teacher were killed when a school roof collapsed in Peshawar, in north-western Pakistan, BBC World News reported, citing hospital and rescue officials. More than a dozen other people were injured, some seriously, and authorities said children may still be trapped under the debris at the private Al-Khair school in Dir Colony.

According to the BBC’s reporting from Peshawar, emergency crews were called to the school shortly after lessons began on Thursday morning. Officials said the collapse started in an upper-floor classroom and then spread downward as ceilings on lower floors also gave way. Local police said classrooms on three floors were affected, with many pupils inside at the time.

The school building was described by officials as temporary and unsafe, with claims that its roof slabs were substandard and the structure overloaded. Rescue access was difficult because the school sits on a narrow street. Local residents joined emergency workers in pulling children from the rubble, while hospitals in the city received the injured and confirmed the death toll.

Police said the school owner had been arrested and a wider inquiry into possible building-code violations was planned. The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ordered a safety audit of schools across the province. The collapse comes amid broader concerns in Pakistan about construction safety and oversight, particularly after other deadly building and facility incidents in recent months.