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A tragic school roof collapse in Peshawar, Pakistan, resulted in the deaths of at least 31 children and two female teachers, while leaving more than 50 others injured, according to local media reports citing the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH).
According to LRH, 53 children were admitted to the facility, predominantly boys aged 14 years or under, of whom 33 succumbed to their injuries, while 17 were discharged following medical observation, as reported by the Pakistani daily The Express Tribune. LRH spokesperson Muhammad Asim stated that an emergency was declared at the hospital, with senior officials stationed in the trauma ward to manage the treatment of survivors, several of whom remain in critical condition. Addressing the press, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mian Saeed announced that the owner of the school had been taken into custody and legal proceedings would be initiated, The Express Tribune reported. Saeed highlighted that the structure suffered from poor construction and was situated in congested, narrow lanes, severely hampering emergency response efforts. Official records indicate that a total of 110 children were enrolled at the institution. Personnel from the Pakistan Army were deployed to the disaster site to assist rescue and relief teams in searching for any students or staff members still believed to be trapped beneath the rubble. Tragedies involving structural and roof failures are frequent across Pakistan, where systemic regulatory failures, lax safety enforcement and substandard building materials continue to endanger public lives. Previous incidents include an August tragedy in Islamabad, where a couple died and their daughters sustained injuries following a roof collapse triggered by three days of heavy rainfall, as reported by Dawn. Similarly, in July, 11 people died when a three-storey building collapsed in Harbanspura, Lahore, where families had gathered for a celebration. Lahore Deputy Commissioner retired Captain Muhammad Ali Ijaz subsequently ordered an inquiry into the cause. Furthermore, a June incident claimed the lives of 14 children after the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore's Kahna area, Dawn noted. That disaster occurred less than two months after four children died and 20 were injured in a classroom roof collapse at a private school in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab. (ANI)
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