14 Children Killed as Roof Collapses at Illegal Tutoring Centre in Lahore
At least 14 children and a female teacher died when the roof of a private tutoring centre collapsed in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday, rescue officials said. The incident has prompted authorities to consider a negligence investigation.
Punjab's emergency service reported that rescuers recovered the bodies of children aged 5 to 16, with most under nine years old, along with a 30-year-old teacher from beneath the rubble of the after-school facility.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari stated that preliminary reports indicated the tutoring centre was unregistered and operated inside a privately owned residential building with a dilapidated roof. Such centres are common across Pakistan, where children attend extra lessons outside regular school hours.
“If negligence, carelessness or any violation of the law is established, those responsible will face strict legal action,” Mr. Bokhari said in a statement. He added that Punjab authorities had been directed to survey unsafe buildings ahead of the monsoon season and introduce stricter rules for unregistered tutoring centres and private educational facilities.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the deaths and called for effective safety measures to prevent such tragedies.
