Tragedy in Pakistan as School Roof Collapse Kills 28, Including 27 Children

(Rescuer Carries a child during a search operation. Photo by ABDUL MAJEED / AFP)
Twenty seven pupils and a teacher were killed on Thursday when a roof collapsed at a school in Peshawar, in north west Pakistan.

A hospital official said more than 30 people were hurt, and six are in critical condition.

A rescue service spokesman said one roof fell onto another, crushing a classroom below and trapping children inside.

Rescue teams deployed 16 ambulances, two disaster response vehicles and more than 60 personnel.

He said more children may still be under the rubble.

A resident blamed substandard building materials and called for a full investigation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari both expressed grief over the tragedy.

Roof and building collapses are common in Pakistan because of weak safety standards and poor construction.

In June, more than a dozen children died in a roof collapse at a tutoring centre in Lahore.