At least 28 people, including 27 students and a female teacher, were killed and 19 others injured when the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar’s Afridi Abad locality on Thursday.
Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim confirmed the latest death toll to Dawn, saying it had risen from the earlier figure of 21, reports Dawn.
Rescue operations are still underway, with several people feared trapped beneath the rubble. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi said rescuers had pulled 40 people from the debris so far.
Earlier, Asim said five of the injured were in critical condition. The hospital had declared an emergency following the incident, he added.
Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir told Dawn that the roof of Al Khair School had collapsed, trapping students beneath the debris.
According to a statement issued by his office, students were in their classrooms when the incident occurred.
Rescue workers continued to clear the debris in an effort to reach those still trapped underneath, the statement added.
