Tragedy jolts officials out of slumber

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate the collapse of a classroom roof at the private Al-Khair Education System in Dir Colony, Peshawar.

The committee has been directed to submit its report on an urgent basis.

According to an official notification issued by the department, Managing Director of the K-P Private Schools Regulatory Authority (KPPSRA) Javed Iqbal will serve as chairman of the committee. Deputy Secretary (Primary) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Department Muhammad Farooq has been named a member, while the panel itself will nominate its third member.

The committee has been tasked with conducting a thorough inquiry into the incident. It will examine the causes of the roof collapse, assess any possible negligence, identify structural defects in the building's construction, and evaluate other contributing factors. Officials have also instructed the panel to recommend concrete measures aimed at preventing similar tragedies in the future and to submit appropriate recommendations.

The devastating incident at the private school in Dir Colony claimed the lives of 32 students and one female teacher. Dozens of other people were injured when the classroom ceiling gave way.

Education authorities moved swiftly to order the probe amid public concern over safety standards in private educational institutions. The formation of the fact-finding body signals an official effort to establish accountability and address potential systemic shortcomings in school infrastructure oversight across the province.

The committee's findings are expected to provide clarity on whether the collapse resulted from construction flaws, maintenance failures, or other lapses. Its recommendations could influence future regulations governing private schools in K-P.

Meanwhile, Lady Reading Hospital received 61 children from the site. Thirty-one were declared dead; the remaining 30 were treated and discharged. No child remained under treatment by evening. Naseerullah Babar Memorial Hospital admitted 32 children; two of them died. Of those brought to the second hospital, 26 were boys and six were girls.

The emergency wards filled with the continuous wail of ambulance sirens. Medical staff and bystanders stood in tears as injured children were carried in. Distraught parents, some without proper shoes, ran from stretcher to stretcher searching for their sons and daughters. Mothers wept and pleaded with doctors for any information. The hospital activated its full emergency protocol, calling in all on-call staff and establishing a help desk to register victims and guide relatives. The sudden influx of onlookers forced administrators to request additional security to clear the area and allow ambulances to move freely.

According to the final list released by LRH, the dead included 14 girls and several teachers. Most of the children were aged between six and 13. Four children remained unidentified at the time of reporting.