LAHORE: As many as 14 children lost their lives on Tuesday, while several others were injured, when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area, officials said.

Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazeer confirmed the deaths while speaking to Geo News. Lahore Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran also confirmed the casualties to Dawn.

In a statement after the search and rescue operation was completed, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said a female teacher and eight children were taken to Lahore General Hospital (LGH) with multiple injuries.

Of them, five children were in critical condition, he said.

Initially, some of the children were taken to the nearby Kahna Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital and were later shifted to Lahore General Hospital (LGH). According to an earlier list of the deceased provided by LGH, the victims were aged between five and 16 years.

Meanwhile, the health minister said two minors were discharged after receiving treatment at the THQ Hospital, while the “rest of the four” were out of danger. It is unclear whether the four injured and under treatment at the THQ Hospital were in addition to those taken to LGH.

Nazeer said “around 20 people” had been trapped under the debris, including the 14 deceased children who were brought dead to the THQ Hospital.

In a statement issued at 7pm, Lahore Police said rescue efforts had concluded.

The statement added that two individuals, including the house owner, had been taken into custody as part of the initial investigation.

It quoted the DIG as saying that evidence was being collected and strict action would be taken against those found guilty of negligence.

DIG Kamran said the contractor who constructed the house recently was among those detained. He noted that a part of the house was under construction and labourers were working when the roof collapsed.

“The children were very young, and there were two rooms in use. The ceilings collapsed and trapped the children,” Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmed told Dawn News.

A statement by the Edhi rescue service, which also took part in the rescue operation, said that the roof “collapsed suddenly”. It added that preliminary information indicated that the roof had been constructed using TR girders.

Lahore District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tariq Mahmood said the building housed a private tuition centre and was run by a woman resident of the area.

The health authorities declared an emergency at LGH, directing senior administrative officials, doctors, nurses and paramedical staff to attend to the injured children being brought there without delay.

Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly due to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.

On Monday, two minor sisters died and their cousin was injured when the boundary wall of their house collapsed in Alipur tehsil of Punjab’s Muzaffargarh district. Earlier this month, a roof of an under-construction room collapsed in Faisalabad’s Jaranwala tehsil, claiming the lives of three members of a family.

Last July, 27 people were killed and 10 injured when a five-storey building collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari area.

PM expresses condolences

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the incident.

In a statement carried by PTV News, he prayed for the deceased and extended his condolences to the bereaved families. He also wished the injured a speedy recovery and directed that they be provided with “every possible medical aid”.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the police and district government authorities to determine the role of those individual(s) found responsible for the roof collapse, and consequently the deaths, for criminal proceedings.

In a post on X, the provincial chief minister expressed sorrow over the loss of lives. “The roof collapse at a tuition center in Kahna is a heartbreaking tragedy. The loss of 14 innocent lives is an immeasurable sorrow, and my heart goes out to the grieving families.”

She maintained that “there will be no leniency for those responsible for this tragic act of negligence”.

Lahore Commissioner Marryam Khan said in a statement that “those responsible for the incident will be found through a transparent, unbiased and immediate investigation”.

Additional input from AFP