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At least 18 people, including 17 children and their teacher, have died after the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, north-western Pakistan, according to reports. More than three dozen other people were injured, while rescue workers continued efforts to reach children believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
The children, who are all believed to be under the age of 13, were attending the school when the roof collapsed. Emergency teams were deployed to the scene to search through the debris and assist those affected.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the emergency services, said several children remained trapped beneath the rubble as rescuers worked to reach them.
Mohammad Asim, a spokesman for Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, said some of the injured were in a critical condition.
Rescue workers have been attempting to locate and recover those trapped beneath the collapsed structure. The incident has placed emergency services under pressure as they work to assist injured pupils and establish whether anyone else remains missing.
The reported death toll includes 17 children and one teacher, highlighting the devastating impact of the collapse on the school community and the families affected.
Authorities have not yet established what caused the roof to give way. Further information about the condition of the building, the circumstances leading to the collapse and any potential safety concerns had not been confirmed in the information available.
The tragedy has renewed concerns about structural safety in buildings used by children and students in Pakistan.
In July, a separate roof collapse at a tutoring centre under construction in Lahore killed four schoolchildren. Although the circumstances of the two incidents may differ, both have drawn attention to the risks posed by building failures involving educational facilities.
Investigators will need to establish the cause of the Peshawar collapse before conclusions can be drawn about whether construction defects, maintenance problems or other factors contributed to the disaster.
For families whose children were attending the school, the ongoing rescue operation has brought uncertainty and distress as emergency workers search the rubble.
The reported injuries, including cases described as critical, mean the final impact of the incident may depend on the condition of those receiving treatment.
Authorities have yet to announce a confirmed cause of the collapse. Further details about the investigation and the rescue operation are expected as more information becomes available.
