Pakistan roof collapse kills 14 children at tutoring centre | Pakistan
Fourteen children died when the roof of an education center collapsed in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday, rescue officials said, paving the way for a possible negligence investigation by authorities.
Punjab emergency services said rescuers found the children and a 30-year-old female teacher under the rubble of a private after-school facility. The ages of the murdered children were between five and 16, with most being under nine.
Punjab information minister Azma Bokhari said preliminary reports showed the tutoring center was unregistered and was operating in a privately owned residential building under a dilapidated roof. Such centers are common throughout Pakistan, where children attend extra classes outside regular school hours.
“If negligence, carelessness or any violation of the law is detected, those responsible will face strict legal action,” Bokhari said in a statement.
An eyewitness who spoke to the AFP news agency said that the roof collapsed while workers were repairing the tiles of the building.
Broadcaster Geo News published footage of uniformed rescuers and civilians trying to dig up dirt and rubble with shovels and hands from the partially collapsed building.
“The roof was in bad condition,” the uncle of one of the victims told AFP news agency, adding that repair work was being carried out on the tiles while the children were studying.
Authorities have vowed to investigate, and state police said two people were detained in connection with the disaster at X.
Police said they were collecting evidence at the scene and released video of officers wearing hard hats talking to rescuers inside the building, located in a densely populated residential area.
Lahore commissioner Marryam Khan said in her statement that “those responsible for the incident will be found through a transparent, impartial and urgent investigation.”
According to the statement made by his office, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his sadness and said that he “prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and instructed the authorities to provide them with all possible medical assistance.”
Roof and building collapses are common throughout Pakistan due to poor safety standards and unsafe construction materials. In July last year, 27 people died and 10 were injured when a five-storey building collapsed in the poor Lyari area of the southern city of Karachi.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
