A roof collapsed at a private school in Peshawar, killing dozens of pupils and a teacher and injuring more than 50 people. The incident occurred during classes at Al-Khair Education Center in Dir Colony, in the northwestern Pakistani city.
Rescue workers, residents and emergency teams searched the rubble for trapped students. The school is in a densely built neighbourhood, making it difficult for heavy equipment to reach the site. Local people joined rescuers in removing debris by hand while injured children were taken to hospital.
Casualty figures changed during the response. An early hospital update put the death toll at 29, including 28 students and one teacher. Later updates raised the reported toll to 35, with 34 children and a teacher among those killed. More than 50 others were reported injured, and some were in critical condition.
The children killed or hurt were mostly young pupils. Authorities ordered an investigation to determine why the roof collapsed. Officials had not announced a confirmed cause in the initial updates.
The disaster has renewed concern about building safety in schools and the need to inspect structures where children gather. Rescue teams said everyone believed to be trapped had been brought out, while hospitals continued treating the injured.
