Peshawar School Roof Collapse Kills At Least 18

The roof of Al-Khair School System in Dir Colony, Peshawar, collapsed during class on Thursday. Rescue teams removed debris to reach children trapped under rubble. Injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital Medical Teaching Institution, which declared an emergency and staffed its trauma unit as families gathered outside. Death and injury counts differed. Emergency services spokesman Bilal Faizi said at least 10 children killed and more than two dozen injured. Hospital spokesman Muhammad Asim said 17 children and a teacher were brought dead and more than 40 injured. Daily Times reported four dead and 20 injured. Dawn headlines separately reported at least 21 killed, at least 4 killed and 20 injured, and at least 10 children injured, some citing Rescue 1122. The cause was not confirmed. Daily Times said local authorities ordered an inquiry into structural safety. AP noted a July Lahore tutoring-center roof collapse that killed four schoolchildren and said building collapses are common in Pakistan due to weak enforcement of construction standards.