School roof collapse in Pakistan kills 28 children and one teacher
At least 29 people, including 28 children and a female teacher, were killed when the roof of a private school collapsed in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar on Thursday, 15 October, authorities said.
More than three dozen people were injured, with several in critical condition, according to hospital officials cited by the Associated Press. The children affected were aged 13 or younger.
The collapse occurred during classes at the Al-Khair Education Center in Dir Colony, a densely populated neighbourhood of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The death toll from the Peshawar school roof tragedy has risen to 28, including two teachers and 26 students. More than 40 are injured, while rescue teams continue searching for those feared trapped beneath the rubble. #Peshawar #SchoolTragedy #Pakistan https://t.co/CHIUlyiOQX
— Sajjad Tarakzai (@SajjadTarakzai) October 15, 2026
According to Reuters, the roof of an upper floor gave way, causing the structure beneath it to collapse into classrooms where children were studying.
Emergency teams arrived at the school and began searching for survivors. District emergency officer Iftikhar Khan said rescuers had recovered at least 45 children from the debris, while others were still feared trapped.
Mohammad Asim, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital, confirmed that the hospital had received casualties from the collapse. Medical staff declared an emergency to treat the injured.
School owner arrested as authorities investigate
Peshawar police chief Saeed Ahmed said the school’s owner had been arrested as authorities investigated the cause of the collapse.
Peshawar police: Two schoolgirls and two female teachers are among those killed in the Peshawar school roof collapse. The three-storey building was weakly constructed, with 110 students present at the time of the incident. Rescue operations continue. #Peshawar #SchoolTragedy #Pakistan
— Sajjad Tarakzai (@SajjadTarakzai) October 15, 2026
He described the building as structurally weak, although investigators have yet to establish the precise circumstances that caused the roof to give way.
Local residents were among the first to respond, helping emergency workers reach the children before additional rescue teams arrived.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to the families of those killed and said he was deeply saddened by the incident.
At least 28 children and 1 teacher killed, 40 others injured after roof collapses at Peshawar, Pakistan school; others missing. https://t.co/iBbaqMd8Dm
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) October 15, 2026
The disaster has renewed concerns over building safety in Pakistan, where weak enforcement of construction regulations and the use of poor-quality materials have contributed to previous collapses.
In July, another roof collapse at a tutoring centre in Lahore killed schoolchildren, raising questions about the safety of buildings used for educational purposes.
Authorities have not announced when the investigation into the Peshawar collapse will be completed. Rescue operations were continuing as officials warned that the death toll could rise.
