At least 14 children were killed and several others injured after the roof of a tuition centre collapsed in Pakistan’s Lahore on Tuesday. According to news agency Associated Press, the collapse occurred at an after-school tutoring centre operating inside an ageing residential building in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Rescue workers and locals searched through the rubble for hours amid fears that more children could be trapped.
Police recovered the bodies of 14 children, while eight others were taken to hospital for treatment, AP reported, citing senior police official Faisal Kamran. He said the owner of the tutoring centre and another individual had been arrested.
The Guardian, citing Punjab’s emergency service and Agence France-Presse (AFP), reported that the children who died were between five and 16 years old, with most victims under the age of nine. A 30-year-old woman teacher was also rescued from beneath the debris.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said that the tutoring centre was unregistered and was operating inside a privately owned house with a deteriorating roof. “If negligence, carelessness or any violation of the law is established, those responsible will face strict legal action,” Bokhari said in the statement.
Footage aired by Pakistan’s Geo News showed rescuers and residents digging through the rubble with shovels and bare hands in an effort to reach those trapped inside. Parents wept over the bodies of their children while relatives gathered outside homes to offer condolences. Residents also voiced anger, accusing the centre’s management of operating classes in an unsafe building.
“We don’t know whose home to visit first to offer condolences for the loss of their children,” local resident Zafar Iqbal told AP.
Authorities have promised a transparent investigation into the incident. Lahore Commissioner Marryam Khan said those responsible would be identified through an impartial inquiry, while Punjab Police confirmed that evidence was being collected from the site, The Guardian reported.
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Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to the victims’ families and wished a speedy recovery for those injured. In separate statements, they also called for safety measures to prevent similar tragedies.
