Pakistan: 14 students killed, several injured as coaching centre roof collapses in Lahore
PTC News Desk: At least 14 school children were killed while several others injured after the roof of a coaching centre collapsed in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore collapsed, according to officials.
Eight children and a teacher were injured and are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital, while police said the owner of the centre and another person had been arrested.
Senior police officer Faisal Kamran said rescue teams were continuing to search through the debris amid reports that more children could be trapped underneath. He added that the tuition centre was operating in an old building, and the roof of an unfinished second floor appeared to have collapsed due to poor construction.
Punjab’s emergency service said rescuers pulled several children and a 30-year-old female teacher from the rubble of the private tuition centre. The children who died were between five and 16 years old, with most of them under the age of nine.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said initial findings suggested the tuition centre was unregistered and was being run from a privately owned house with a damaged and unsafe roof. Private tutoring centres are common in Pakistan, where many students attend extra classes after regular school hours.
- With inputs from agencies
