At least 33 pupils and teacher killed after school roof collapses in Pakistan
At least 33 students and a teacher were killed when the roof of a private school in Peshawar, Pakistan, collapsed. Authorities believe the building was structurally unsound and overloaded, leading to a catastrophic failure that trapped victims under debris.
Why it matters
The tragedy raises critical questions about building safety standards and infrastructure oversight in rapidly developing urban areas.
Image source, Getty Images By Bilal Ahmed and Azizullah Khan , BBC Urdu , Reporting from Peshawar and Phelan Chatterjee Published 15 October 2026, 07:49 BST Updated 1 hour ago At least 33 pupils and a teacher have been killed after a school roof collapsed in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, according to hospital officials.
More than a dozen others are injured, with some in a critical condition. Several children are feared to be trapped under the rubble.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident at the private Al-Khair school in Dir Colony at 08:48 (03:48 GMT) on Thursday after lessons had begun, a rescue official said.
He told the BBC the roof of an upper-floor classroom had collapsed, causing ceilings below to cave in as well.
Warning: This article contains distressing details
"The children in the affected [classrooms] were trapped under the debris," the official, Bilal Faizi, said.
Also covering this story
4 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
School roof collapse kills at least 29, injures more than 3 dozen in Pakistan
17 children, teacher killed as school roof collapses in Pakistan’s Peshawar
Seventeen students, one teacher killed in school roof collapse in Pakistan
34 Students, Teacher Killed In Pakistan School Roof Collapse
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in