According to Dawn, at least 33 people were killed after the roof of Al-Khair School collapsed in the Afridi Abad area of Peshawar. The victims included 32 students aged between seven and 14, as well as a female teacher. The structure collapsed when an upper floor's roof gave way, crumpling two storeys onto students present in their classrooms.
What happened
The ceiling caved in after an upper-level construction collapsed onto lower classrooms. A local parent reported retrieving three young children from the site and noted that his son survived because he had briefly left his classroom before the collapse. Emergency services established a dedicated traffic corridor for ambulances, and Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir confirmed that rescue workers have cleared the debris and finished search efforts at the scene.
Key facts
- Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim stated that 33 deaths were confirmed, while 20 injured children were brought to the facility. Most have been discharged, but three remain under treatment for severe head injuries.
- Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed reported that the building possessed a weak structure overloaded by construction on the upper level.
- The Elementary and Secondary Education Department established a fact-finding committee consisting of Private Schools Regulatory Authority chairman Javid Iqbal, deputy secretary Muhammad Farooq, and a co-opted member to investigate the disaster.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi requested an official report and ordered a province-wide structural safety audit of all educational institutions.
Why it matters
As reported by Dawn, the incident has highlighted severe structural risks in school infrastructure, leading to demands for nationwide enforcement of safety protocols. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar issued statements offering condolences and directing authorities to ensure comprehensive medical care for survivors alongside strict safety inspections across educational facilities.
Source: Dawn - Home · Published October 15, 2026 · Photo by Abuzar Xheikh on Unsplash