At least 14 children were killed and eight others injured when the roof of a private tuition centre in the Kahna neighbourhood of Lahore collapsed on Tuesday evening while dozens of pupils were attending afternoon classes (Al Jazeera; NPR).
The victims were aged between five and sixteen, with most of the dead younger than nine, according to reports compiled by the Express Tribune and The Nation (The Nation). A teacher was also injured in the collapse. Rescue workers removed bodies and survivors from the debris over several hours; the injured were transferred to a nearby hospital.
Investigators believe the unfinished roof of the building’s second floor gave way under the additional load of ongoing repair work, according to initial assessments reported by Pakistani media. The structure had a pre-existing dilapidated roof that had not been rebuilt to standard before construction was allowed to continue above it (Express Tribune).
Lahore police filed a first information report naming three brothers — Usman, Faizan, and Rehan — as property owners, along with a mason identified as Umair, as suspects. The FIR was registered under sections relating to negligence causing death; the accused had not been arrested at time of reporting (Aaj English TV).
Funerals for the victims were held on Wednesday. The tragedy follows a series of building collapses across Pakistan’s major cities that experts and opposition politicians have attributed to weak enforcement of construction bylaws, the prevalence of unlicensed contractors, and a lack of safety inspections of structures housing schools and learning centres.
