Disasters & Incidents
Pakistan school roof collapse kills 28, hospital says
A school roof collapse in Peshawar, northwest Pakistan, killed 27 pupils and a teacher on Thursday, hospital official Asim Khan said.
Khan, from Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, said more than 30 people were injured, with six believed to be in critical condition.
Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesman for the emergency rescue service in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said the children 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 on to another, causing the classroom below to be crushed and trapping children inside," Faizi said.
He said there were concerns that more children could still be trapped under the rubble. The rescue service deployed 16 ambulances, two disaster response vehicles and more than 60 personnel to the site.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives" and offered condolences to the families. President Asif Ali Zardari called the collapse a "heartbreaking tragedy".
Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, where safety standards and construction materials are often poor. In June, more than a dozen children were killed in a roof collapse at a tutoring centre in Lahore. In 2025, 27 people were killed and 10 injured when a five-storey building collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari area.
Update
A Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emergency rescue spokesman said one roof collapsed onto another, crushing the classroom below and trapping children inside.
The rescue spokesman said there were concerns that more children could still be trapped under rubble.
The rescue service said 16 ambulances, two disaster response vehicles and more than 60 personnel were deployed.
Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari called the collapse a heartbreaking tragedy.
Source note: AFP news report published on 15 October 2026 at 07:52:33 UTC.
Update
The reported death toll rose to 27 pupils and one teacher.
A hospital official said more than 30 people were injured, with six believed to be in critical condition.
Source note: AFP news report published on 15 October 2026 at 07:14:11 UTC.
Update
A hospital official said 21 pupils and a teacher were killed.
The hospital official said more than 30 people were injured.
Six injured people were believed to be in critical condition.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a condolence statement.
Source note: AFP news report published on 15 October 2026 at 06:56:57 UTC.
Update
Emergency services said 19 other people were injured.
Rescue service spokesman Bilal Ahmed Faizi said six injured people were in critical condition in hospital.
The collapse was identified as occurring in Peshawar.
Source note: AFP news report published on 15 October 2026 at 06:27:19 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Rescue officials said more children may still be trapped under rubble.
The cause of the roof collapse has not been established in the supplied information.
Source
AFP news report published on .