Teacher, 32 students killed in Peshawar school roof collapse

PESHAWAR: At least 33 people, including 32 students and a female teacher, were killed when a school roof collapsed in the provincial capital’s Afridi Abad area on Thursday. Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson Muhammad Asim told Dawn that the death toll had risen to 33 from an earlier figure of 28. The deceased included 32 students aged between seven and 14 and a female teacher, he said. A total of 20 injured children were also brought to the hospital, most of whom have since been discharged. Three children who sustained serious head injuries remained under treatment, he added. Residents gather during a search operation after a roof collapsed at a school in Peshawar on October 15. —AFP A spokesman for Rewscue 1122 said schoolchildren were crushed and trapped after the roof gave way.

“When the Rescue 1122 emergency response teams arrived at the scene, they found that one roof had collapsed onto another, causing the classroom below to be crushed and trapping children inside,” spokesman Bilal Ahmad Faizi said. Speaking to Geo News , Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir confirmed that the rescue operation launched after the collapse had concluded. “Rescue teams have cleared all the debris, and no more injured children are at the scene,” he said. Following the incident, an emergency was declared at the hospital, said the LRH spokesperson in an earlier statement. Peshawar DC earlier told Dawn that the roof of Al-Khair School had collapsed, trapping students beneath the debris. According to a statement issued by his office, students were present in their classrooms when the incident occurred. A rescue official told AFP that the ceiling came down on the students after the roof of a higher floor collapsed, crumpling the two storeys. Peshawar Capital City Police Officer…