PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN — A catastrophic building collapse at a school in Peshawar has left at least 28 people dead, including 27 children under the age of 13 and one teacher, as rescue teams scramble to locate survivors trapped beneath the debris.
The disaster occurred on Thursday in a congested neighborhood in central Peshawar. According to officials, the tragedy unfolded when the roof of a multi-story building gave way, triggering a chain reaction that resulted in a deadly architectural failure. A rescue official explained that construction work on an upper level placed excessive weight on a structurally unsound foundation, causing the top floor to collapse onto the first level, which then buckled, burying the students inside.
“It was a weak building structure,” said Peshawar police chief Saeed Ahmed. “The roof was overweight with construction, and the load was simply too much for the facility to bear.”
In the immediate aftermath, local residents rushed to the scene to begin desperate efforts to clear the rubble before emergency services arrived. By midday, at least 30 survivors had been transported to the Lady Reading Hospital, where medical staff are treating patients for injuries ranging from broken bones to critical trauma. Hospital officials have expressed grave concern that the casualty count may rise, as many of those retrieved remain in critical condition.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the emergency services, confirmed that the search and rescue operation is ongoing. He noted that at the time of the collapse, approximately 110 students were present across three classrooms. With fewer than half of those children accounted for, authorities fear that dozens may still be pinned beneath the concrete and twisted metal. District emergency officer Iftikhar Khan stated that at least 45 children had been pulled from the ruins so far, but emphasized that the heavy, unstable nature of the debris is complicating recovery efforts.
As the community reels from the horror, law enforcement has taken swift action against those responsible for the building’s maintenance. Police confirmed that the owner of the school has been arrested and is currently in custody as part of an official investigation into potential building code violations and criminal negligence.
The tragedy has sparked national outrage regarding the lack of oversight for private school infrastructure in the region. As darkness falls over Peshawar, grief-stricken parents continue to wait outside the Lady Reading Hospital, searching for news of their loved ones amidst the mounting uncertainty. Emergency workers, bolstered by heavy machinery, are continuing their work under floodlights, hoping to find more survivors in the ruins of what was, until today, a place of learning.
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