School roof collapse kills at least 29, injures more than 3 dozen in
Pakistan
[October 15, 2026]
By RIAZ KHAN and MUNIR AHMED
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — The roof of a private school collapsed in
northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 28 children and a
female teacher and injuring more than 50 other people, a hospital
spokesman said, as rescuers searched the rubble for anyone still
trapped. Six girls were among the dead.
Several children were also trapped under the rubble in Peshawar, the
capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman
for the emergency services.
A hospital spokesman, Mohammad Asim, also confirmed the casualties,
saying some of the injured were in critical condition. All the children
killed or injured were age 13 or younger, he said. The hospital declared
an emergency as medical staff treated the wounded.
Hours later, rescue officials said that everyone trapped beneath the
rubble had been pulled out and crews were clearing the debris. Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Gov. Faisal Karim Kundi expressed sorrow over the collapse
and sought a report from the relevant authorities about the cause of the
collapse. He directed officials to provide the best possible medical
care to the injured children.
Mahwish Zaman, an injured teacher speaking from a hospital bed, said
that the three-story school had an estimated 1,200 students enrolled in
nursery through fifth grade. She told The Associated Press that she was
in her classroom when the roof collapsed and felt as if the sky had
fallen. She regained consciousness in the hospital.
According to witnesses, residents were among the first to reach the
school in a congested neighborhood in central Peshawar. Rescue workers
arrived within minutes of being alerted, according to accounts from the
scene.
A resident, Samiullah Khan, said that he rushed to the school after
learning of the collapse and helped rescue three girls. Khan said his
son, who attends the school, survived because he had stepped out of his
classroom to drink water.
A resident, Mohammad Khan, said rescuers carefully removed debris,
trying to reach children and staff feared trapped beneath the collapsed
roof. Outside the school and at the state-run Lady Reading Hospital,
anguished parents sought information about their children, unsure
whether they had survived.
The cause of the collapse was under investigation. Peshawar police chief
Saeed Ahmed said that the school's owner had been arrested. He said that
the building was structurally weak.
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A rescue worker carries an injured child after rescuing him from the
rubble of a roof collapse at a private school, in Peshawar,
Pakistan, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arif Khan)
The provincial government said that the school occupied a
three-story building and that a committee had been formed to
investigate the cause of the roof collapse.
The provincial government spokeswoman, Samar Haroon Bilour, said
that the government directed hospital officials to provide prompt
medical care to the injured children and praised rescue workers for
their swift response. She said that the government was using all
available resources to bring those trapped beneath the rubble to
safety.
In Islamabad, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif expressed sorrow over the deaths and offered condolences to
the bereaved families in separate statements.
“The entire nation shares the grief of the affected families in this
hour of sorrow,” Zardari said.
He also called for a comprehensive investigation into the collapse
and stressed the need to ensure school buildings meet safety
standards to prevent similar tragedies.
In July, a roof collapsed at a tutoring center under construction in
Lahore, killing four schoolchildren.
Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction
standards are often poorly enforced. Many structures are built with
substandard materials, and safety regulations are frequently ignored
to reduce costs.
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Munir Ahmed reported from Islamabad.
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