Twenty-seven pupils and a teacher have been killed after a school roof collapsed in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan.More than 30 people were injured in the incident, with six reportedly in critical condition.

A hospital official at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, Asim Khan, confirmed the death toll to the Agence France-Presse, AFP.A spokesman for the provincial emergency rescue service, Bilal Ahmad Faizi, said the collapse crushed a classroom and trapped several children beneath the rubble.

He said rescue teams had deployed 16 ambulances, two disaster response vehicles and more than 60 personnel to the scene.The spokesman added that there were concerns that more children might still be trapped beneath the debris.

Residents at the scene blamed the incident on suspected substandard construction materials and called for a thorough investigation.

One resident, Sher Ahmed, urged authorities to investigate the tragedy and take strict action against anyone found responsible.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the bereaved families.

President Asif Ali Zardari also described the incident as a heartbreaking tragedy, saying the nation shared in the grief of the affected families.

Building and roof collapses remain a recurring problem in Pakistan, often attributed to poor safety standards and substandard construction materials.

In June this year, more than a dozen children were reportedly killed in a roof collapse at a tutoring centre in Lahore, while 27 people died when a five-storey building collapsed in Karachi in 2025.