Lahore, Pakistan
Twenty-eight children and a teacher were killed and dozens injured when the roof of a school in northern Pakistan collapsed Thursday morning, authorities said.
Heavy rains caused the roof of a two-story building to collapse in the city of Peshawar, Bilal Ahmed of local emergency services told CNN. Some children were still trapped in the rubble and rescuers were working to reach them, he said.
Forty-seven children were injured, Asim Khan, a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, told CNN. Video of the scene obtained by CNN showed ambulances rushing through narrow streets and crowds gathered outside the school building.
Local residents were among the first to arrive at the scene, and rescuers arrived within minutes, the Associated Press reported citing eyewitnesses.
Building collapses are a common problem in Pakistan. Building standards in the country are often poorly enforced and many structures are built with substandard materials.
The collapse comes just weeks after a fire ravaged a hospital in the capital Islamabad, killing at least 14 newborns and triggering widespread anger and multiple arrests.
The fire was confined to a third-floor nursery, but authorities said it spread so quickly that staff were only able to save one baby among the 15 being treated there.
An investigation found the daycare had no fire alarm or sprinkler system and the hospital lacked detailed procedures and training for responding to fires and other emergencies.
In July, the collapse of the roof of a school support center under construction in Lahore, in eastern Pakistan, killed at least 14 schoolchildren, police and emergency services announced at the time.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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