At least 14 children have been killed after the roof of a tuition centre collapsed in Lahore, eastern Pakistan, authorities said. A teacher and eight other children were injured and are receiving treatment in hospital.
Officials said the children who died were between four and 12 years old. Police arrested the centre’s owner and another individual as investigations began.
Senior police official Faisal Kamran said rescue teams continued searching the rubble amid fears more children could be trapped. Preliminary findings indicate the centre operated in an ageing building, with the roof of an unfinished second floor believed to have collapsed due to poor construction quality. A witness said workers had been repairing tiles when the roof gave way.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of “precious lives,” ordered medical support for the injured and called for a transparent, impartial and immediate investigation.
Building collapses are a recurring problem in Pakistan, often linked to poor safety standards and substandard construction. Last July, a five-storey building collapse in Karachi killed 27 people and injured 10 others.
