Peshawar School Collapse Kills Children and Teacher

A roof collapse at AlKhair school in Peshawar killed dozens of children and a teacher on October 15, prompting an investigation and an order for school-building inspections across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Hospital and rescue-service reports confirmed the deaths, but accounts published through October 16 gave differing totals for children killed. Later reports said 34 children and one teacher died; other reports gave figures of 32 or 33 children and one teacher. Authorities had not issued a final tally in the information available. Dozens were injured, with some children treated in hospital. Rescuers searched the rubble and recovered those trapped beneath it. Emergency-services spokesperson Bilal Faizi said crews pulled at least 40 children alive from the debris. The collapse occurred during classes at the school, in the city’s Dir Colony neighborhood. An injured teacher, Mahwish Zaman, said the roof gave way so suddenly she could not warn students to escape. Police detained the school’s owner, Mohammad Khan, after the collapse. Peshawar Police Chief Saeed Ahmed described the building as structurally weak and said Khan told officers that recent rains had weakened it. Relatives of...