A Pakistan school roof collapse in Peshawar left at least 28 dead and dozens hurt, and the province has ordered safety audits.

Thursday, 15 October 2026

A Pakistan school roof collapse in Peshawar killed at least 28 people on Thursday, most of them children, according to Dawn and hospital officials.

At a glance: Al-Khair School, in Peshawar's Afridi Abad area, lost its roof on Thursday morning. Lady Reading Hospital counts 27 students, aged seven to 16 and one female teacher among the dead. Rescuers have finished clearing the debris and the cause is under investigation.

What happened at Al-Khair School in Peshawar?

Students were in their classrooms. A rescue official told AFP that a higher-floor roof gave way first and the ceiling then fell on the pupils, crumpling two storeys. The provincial police chief ordered a clear route for ambulances heading to hospital.

Samiullah, a father who reached the site around 9am, pulled out three girls under eight. His own son, survived only because he had stepped out of a ground-floor classroom for water. Outside the school and at Lady Reading Hospital, AP reported, anguished parents waited for word of their children.

What caused the roof to collapse?

Officials have not confirmed a cause. Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed Ahmed said the building was structurally weak. "Its roof was overweight with construction on a weak structure that caused the collapse," AFP quoted him as saying. AP reports the school's owner has been arrested.

Accounts differ. A rescue official told CNN that heavy rain brought the roof down.

How many people died or were injured?

Figures vary by outlet and by the hour. Dawn, citing the hospital, reported 28 dead and 19 injured. AP's later update put the toll at 29, with more than 50 hurt. CNN earlier counted 47 injured children. Expect the numbers to shift. The gap probably reflects timing and counting methods, though that is speculation.

How have officials responded?

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif voiced grief and directed that relief work be expedited. President Asif Ali Zardari called for a comprehensive investigation and for checks that school buildings meet safety standards. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi sought a detailed report and ordered a structural safety audit of educational institutions across the province.

More to Know

A pattern, not a one-off. On 30 June, 14 children died when a tutoring-centre roof collapsed in Lahore's Kahna area. In July, three girls died when a school wall fell near Umerkot and a child died in a Lahore school roof collapse.

Weak enforcement. Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced and substandard materials are widespread.

Weeks earlier. A fire at an Islamabad hospital killed at least 14 newborns and sparked widespread anger and arrests.

Peshawar is mourning at least 28 people and the cause is still unresolved. Police point to a weak structure. One rescue official cited heavy rain.

Business Fortune asks, if the province's school-safety audit will show if other buildings carry the same risk?

FAQs

  1. How many people died in the Pakistan school roof collapse?

    At least 28, per Dawn: 27 students and a teacher. AP reports at least 29.

  2. Where did the Pakistan school roof collapse happen?

    At Al-Khair School in the Afridi Abad area of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

  3. What caused the Peshawar school roof collapse?

    It is unconfirmed. Police cite a weak structure with a heavy roof, while a rescue official told CNN heavy rain was the trigger.

  4. Has anyone been arrested?

    AP reports the school's owner was arrested.

  5. What is the government doing after the collapse?

    The prime minister expedited relief, the president called for an investigation and the governor ordered a province-wide structural safety audit of schools.

Sources

Dawn · AP via Local10 · CNN · Euronews