A roof collapse at a tutoring center under construction in Lahore, Pakistan, on Tuesday killed at least 14 schoolchildren, according to police and rescue officials. Eight other children sustained injuries and are being treated at a local hospital.
Senior police official Faisal Kamran stated that the tutoring center was situated in an aging building, and the roof of an unfinished second floor likely failed due to poor construction quality. Rescuers continued to search the rubble for any additional children who might be trapped.
The owner of the tutoring center and another individual have been arrested in connection with the incident. Building collapses are a recurring issue in Pakistan, often attributed to weak enforcement of construction standards, the use of substandard materials, and the frequent disregard of safety regulations to cut costs.
Witnesses described ambulances and rescue workers arriving at the scene shortly after the roof gave way. Local residents also joined the rescue efforts, using tools and their hands to move debris in an attempt to reach children buried beneath.
Scenes of intense grief unfolded outside hospitals and in the neighborhood on the outskirts of Lahore where the private tutoring center was located. Many of the victims were residents of the immediate area. Parents wept over the loss of their children, while other family members expressed their sorrow through crying and chest-beating. Residents voiced anger, demanding accountability for the tutoring center's owner, whom they blamed for operating in what they described as an old and unsafe structure.
Lahore serves as the capital of Punjab province, Pakistan's most populous region, where many parents enroll their children in private afternoon and evening tutoring centers. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued statements expressing their sorrow over the collapse. They conveyed condolences to the affected families, wished a swift recovery to the injured, and emphasized the necessity of effective safety measures to prevent future tragedies.