School roof collapse in Pakistan kills at least 35 and injures more than 50

The roof of a private school collapsed in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 34 children and a teacher and injuring more than 50 other people in the deadliest incident of its kind in the country, authorities and a hospital official say.

The children killed or injured at Al-Khair school were between 6 and 12 years old, while the oldest was 14, Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Mohammad Asim says. Some of the injured were in critical condition, he adds. The hospital declares an emergency as medical staff treated the wounded.

Hours after the collapse in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, emergency services spokesperson Bilal Faizi says that everyone trapped beneath the rubble had been pulled out and crews had cleared debris.

He tells The Associated Press that the roofs of two classrooms collapsed when second- and third-grade children were in them with their teachers. Faizi says ambulances and disaster management personnel arrived from a nearby facility within five minutes of being alerted.

Nearly 100 rescuers eventually joined the operation, he said. Panicked, grieving parents were trying to help when crews arrived, Faizi says. He credits the rapid evacuation with saving at least 40 lives. More than a dozen children suffered minor injuries, he says.

Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced. Many structures are built with substandard materials, and safety regulations are frequently ignored to reduce costs.