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At least 14 schoolchildren are killed and nine others are hospitalized after the roof of an under-construction tuition centre collapses in Lahore, Pakistan.
Confirmed
In Short: At least 14 schoolchildren were killed and nine others were hospitalized after the roof of an under-construction tutoring center collapsed in Lahore, Pakistan.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A roof collapse at a tutoring center under construction in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday killed at least 14 schoolchildren, police and rescue officials said. The center was housed in an aging building, and the roof of an unfinished second floor apparently collapsed due to poor construction quality, according to AP News.
Witnesses reported that ambulances and rescue workers rushed to the scene after the roof collapsed. The incident occurred while workers were repairing tiles on the building, a witness told AFP, as reported by Al Jazeera.
A teacher and eight other children were injured and being treated at a hospital, while the owner of the center and another person have been arrested, according to Al Jazeera. Medical sources said the children killed were aged between four and 12.
The tragic event highlights the ongoing challenges in construction safety and quality in Pakistan, where the tutoring center was located in an aging building, according to AP News. This incident underscores the need for stricter building codes and enforcement in the country.
Background
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population in the world as of 2023.
What's confirmed
- A roof collapse at a tutoring center in Pakistan’s Kahna Town of Lahore District killed at least 14 schoolchildren on Tuesday, according to the police and rescue officials. (AP Video by Jahanzaib Aurangzaib) A roof…
What's still developing
- He said the tutoring center was housed in an aging building and that the roof of an unfinished second floor apparently collapsed because of poor construction quality.
- Witnesses said ambulances and rescue workers rushed to the scene after the roof collapsed.
- A teacher and eight other children were injured and being treated at a hospital, while police said the owner of the centre and another person had been arrested.
- Medical sources said the children killed in the collapse were aged between around four and 12, according to the AFP news agency.
- Workers had been repairing tiles on the building when the roof gave way and crushed the youngsters, a witness told AFP.