At least 29 people, including 28 children and a woman teacher, were killed and more than 40 others injured after the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Thursday, police and hospital officials said.
The collapse occurred in Dir Colony, in Peshawar's inner-city area, Capital City Police chief Mian Saeed said. The owner of the school has been arrested, he added, according to news agency PTI.
Muhammad Asim, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital, said the victims included six girls. All the children who died were aged 13 or younger. More than 40 people were injured in the incident.
Rescue operation underway as hospital declares emergency
Lady Reading Hospital declared an emergency to treat those injured in the collapse, Asim said.
Rescue teams were clearing the debris and searching for children and school staff who might still be trapped beneath the collapsed structure. The authorities were working to establish the full circumstances of the incident.
Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir ordered an investigation into the building collapse.
Pakistan's leadership expresses condolences
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief over the loss of life and conveyed his condolences to the families of those killed.
He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and directed the authorities concerned to ensure that they received the best possible medical treatment.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also expressed grief over the collapse.