School roof collapse in Peshawar kills 34 children and a teacher

At least 34 schoolchildren and a teacher have been killed after the roof of a school collapsed during morning lessons in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

The roof of an upper floor at the privately run al-Khair school gave way at 8.48am local time, crushing two storeys of the building. A total of 110 pupils were in three classrooms at the time.

Rescuers dig with bare hands

Television footage showed rescuers clawing through rubble with their bare hands and carrying injured children to ambulances, as frantic parents and relatives crowded the narrow street. The rescue operation lasted four to five hours.

Most of the victims were under 13 and from low-income families. At least 45 children were injured. Twelve of those killed were girls, along with a female teacher, and three children remained in a critical condition with head injuries.

"A weak building structure"

"It was a weak building structure," said the Peshawar police chief, Mian Saeed. "Its roof was overloaded with construction on a weak structure, which caused the collapse." The school's owner has been arrested and an investigation launched.

Relatives accused the school of ignoring concerns about the building and demanded accountability. "Make an example of them, a lesson for all, so that no one dares open a school just to make money without providing facilities," said Mohammad Zaman, who lost two nephews.

Jawad Ahmad, whose son and daughter survived, said: "It felt as if someone had shot me in the chest when I learned that the school building had collapsed."

A wider problem

Pakistan spends less than 1% of its GDP on education, leaving many families dependent on low-cost private schools. Many operate from poorly maintained rented buildings with little oversight. In June, at least 14 children died when the roof of a tutoring centre collapsed in Lahore.

The prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, expressed his sorrow and offered condolences to the families.

Political tensions

Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where President Asif Ali Zardari imposed a state of emergency on Sunday, saying the provincial government had failed to tackle Islamist militancy from Afghanistan, which it denies. The province has long been governed by the party of the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, and is often at odds with the federal government.

Birmingham's links

Birmingham has one of the largest Pakistani communities in Britain, and many families in the city have relatives across Pakistan, so news of the tragedy will be felt keenly by many here.

Anyone wanting to help is advised to give through registered charities, which can be checked on the Charity Commission's website.