DGK school roof collapse kills four children

LAHORE:

At least four children were killed and 20 others injured after the roof of a classroom at a private school in Punjab's Dera Ghazi Khan collapsed on Thursday.

According to a preliminary report issued by the district administration, the injured included 16 students, two teachers and two labourers.

Rescue officials said emergency teams, assisted by district authorities and local residents, launched an immediate operation to pull victims from beneath the debris.

The preliminary findings pointed to construction activity and excessive load on the rooftop as the likely cause of the tragedy.

The incident occurred around noon, prompting the swift dispatch of ambulances and rescue personnel to the site. The district administration stated that first responders reached the school within four minutes of the emergency call.

Rescue 1122 officials said teams worked alongside local residents to evacuate trapped students and teachers from the collapsed structure, while all injured individuals were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.

District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Waqas Gill said he remained present at the site during the rescue and search operation. He added that all injured victims had been transferred to hospitals.

According to the district administration's report, investigations revealed that construction work for an extension of the school building was underway at the time of the incident. The report stated that the classroom roof had been overloaded with sand and bricks.

"The roof could not bear the load and resultantly collapsed," the report said.

Before the preliminary findings were released, CEO Gill had assured that a formal inquiry would be conducted and action taken against the school administration for "allegedly compromising students' safety by carrying out construction work during school hours".