Building collapse kills 34 at Peshawar school
At least 34 schoolchildren and one teacher died when an overloaded roof collapsed during morning classes.
The roof of Al-Khair Education Centre in Peshawar gave way during lessons, crushing two storeys of the private school. Rescue workers pulled children from the rubble by hand as parents searched desperately for loved ones.
Most victims were under 13 and from low-income families. At least 45 others were injured, three critically.
Police say the school owner was arrested. Peshawar's police chief blamed weak building structure with an overloaded roof.
Pakistan spends less than one per cent of its GDP on education. Many private schools operate from poorly maintained rented buildings with limited oversight, putting children at deadly risk.
Why it mattersThe disaster exposes how low-cost private schools in Pakistan often operate from unsafe buildings with limited oversight, putting children at deadly risk.
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