Peshawar, Pakistan— The roof of a government school collapsed in Peshawar on October 20, killing 34 students and one teacher and injuring 50 others in one of the deadliest school disasters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent years.
The collapse happened at around 10 a.m. during morning lessons. The building housed primary and middle classes. Witnesses said the concrete roof of a second-floor classroom gave way without warning. It fell onto the floor below. Children were buried under slabs, iron rods, and broken desks. Screams were heard across the compound.
Teachers and local residents were first to dig. They used their hands. Police and Rescue 1122 teams arrived with cutters and cranes. "We pulled out children covered in dust," said a rescue worker. "Some were unconscious. Some were calling for their mothers." The operation lasted more than six hours. The last survivor was found after 3 p.m.
The school, located on the outskirts of Peshawar, was built in the 1980s. Parents said cracks had appeared in the walls months ago. A written complaint was submitted to the district education office, according to two parents. No repair was done. An official from the education department said the building was listed for renovation last year but funds were not released.
Thirty-four students, aged between 8 and 14, were killed. One female teacher, who was standing near the blackboard, also died. Fifty injured children were taken to Lady Reading Hospital and Khyber Teaching Hospital. Doctors said at least 15 have severe head injuries and fractures. Several remain in critical condition. Hospital officials appealed for blood donations.
The provincial government ordered an inquiry. Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced compensation for families and free treatment for the injured. The district education officer and the school principal have been suspended pending investigation. Police have registered a case against the contractor responsible for the last repair work in 2019.
School infrastructure in Pakistan is in poor shape. A 2024 survey found that more than 30 percent of government schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lack safe buildings. Many operate in structures with leaking roofs and exposed wiring. Education activists said today's deaths were preventable. "These children were sent to learn, not to die under concrete," said one activist outside the hospital.
By evening, the school was sealed. Rescue teams had left. Parents sat outside the hospital gates, waiting for news. Some held school bags recovered from the rubble. The list of dead was posted on the hospital wall. Officials said identification is complete.
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