PESHAWAR: At least 21 people, including 20 students and a female teacher, have been killed as the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar’s Dir Colony on Thursday.

Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim, in a statement, confirmed 21 were killed in the incident, and an emergency was declared at the hospital.

Earlier, Asim said that 17 students had been killed and that “all the children were aged thirteen and under,” he added. He said another 17 injured students were brought to the hospital.

Earlier, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi said rescue personnel had transported around 20 people, including students and teachers, to hospitals. Four people had died in the incident, he said at the time, citing LRH.

A rescue operation was underway.

Another statement by the agency earlier said that more than 10 children had been provided first aid and taken to hospitals. It added that several children were feared trapped under the rubble.

Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly due to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials in the country.

In July, three girls, aged 3 to 13, were killed after a portion of the outer wall of a government primary school near Umerkot collapsed and the rubble fell on them.

The same month, a child died, and at least five other people were injured after the roof of an under-construction private school building collapsed in Lahore’s Baghbanpura neighbourhood.

In June, 14 children lost their lives when the roof of a private tuition centre collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area. The incident had come less than two months after four children were killed and 20 people injured after the roof of a classroom at a private school in Dera Ghazi Khan collapsed.

A probe into the DG Khan incident revealed that construction for an extension of the tuition centre’s building was under way when the roof of the classroom collapsed.

Last week, two men died in Pakpattan after the roof of their house collapsed during heavy rain and a windstorm.

In June, a labourer was killed, and three others were injured when the roof of an under-construction building collapsed in Khawaspur locality of Lalamusa, Gujrat. The same month, two people were injured after the roof of a house collapsed in Lahore’s Nishtar area. In August, a couple was killed, and their daughters were injured after the roof of their house in Shahzad Town, Islamabad, collapsed following three days of heavy rainfall.

More to follow.