Lahore, Jun 30 (PTI) At least 14 Pakistani schoolchildren were killed and 20 others injured when the roof of a private tuition centre operating from an under-construction building collapsed in Lahore on Tuesday, police said.
More than 30 children, aged between seven and 13 years, were attending classes at the academy, located in the densely populated Kahna Nau area, when the roof caved in, trapping them under the debris.
“So far, 14 bodies of children have been recovered from the debris,” Lahore Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran told reporters.
Twenty injured children and a female teacher were shifted to the hospital, police said.
He said rescue teams were continuing efforts to search for any remaining victims trapped under the rubble.
“A part of the building was under construction and labourers were busy at work when the roof collapsed. We have arrested the contractor,” Kamran said.
Lahore District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer Tariq Mahmood said the building housed a private tuition centre being run by a woman resident of the locality.
The Edhi Foundation said the roof of the academy in the residential building in Basti Eid Gah locality in Kahna Nau area “collapsed suddenly”.
“The bodies of the deceased were shifted to the morgue at General Hospital,” the NGO said in a statement, adding that the death toll may rise as some children are still trapped under the debris.
The injured have been shifted to the hospital, where their condition was stated to be stable, it said.
Rescue operations are continuing at full pace with Edhi ambulances deployed at the site to provide emergency medical assistance, the charity said.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed police and district authorities to identify those responsible for the collapse and initiate criminal proceedings against them.
The provincial health authorities declared an emergency at Lahore General Hospital and directed senior administrative officials, doctors, nurses and paramedical staff to ensure immediate treatment of the injured. PTI MZ SKS SCY SCY
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